We Will Hold On Forever
by DaveTheAnalyzer
Summary: A chance encounter with old enemies leads Littlefoot and friends to discover a phenomena they can barely comprehend. The answers to that phenomena shall lead to tough choices that will drive them to their very breaking point.
1. From The Mists Part 1

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **The Analyzer**

 **Chapter 01: From The Mists Part 1**

On a little known river in the Mysterious Beyond, two companions by convenience were once again in a foul mood.

"You really did it this time, Dil." Ichy muttered.

He and Dil had been riding through the waters in mutual silence, stewing over the latest blunder in their never-ending search for nourishment. Lately, their prey in the Land of Mists had adapted to the changed environment and got cleverer, making getting a full belly an arduous challenge. New predators and other residents had moved in and they didn't take too kindly to the old guard. The mists that helped Ichy and Dil in so many hunts had then disadvantaged them. The pair were often unaware of the presence of the aggressive competition until it was almost too late. They usually had to scramble away before being found. Dil's stealth in the water in these cases was limited and nontransferable to land. With all these obstacles in the way, it was only a matter of time before the pair really ticked off someone bigger and meaner than them.

Dil's eyes lowered. "Well, how was I supposed to know that longneck swimmer was there with how still he was?"

"You should have been more careful after the last time we nearly got caught." Ichy said. "Always stay low while swimming. How hard is that to understand?"

"It's kind of hard to be invisible and keep ears above water." Dil growled. "C'mon Ichy, I did everything you asked. I kept quiet. I asked if there were any swimming longnecks in the area. I swam so slowly I might as well have stayed still. I did my best. But those swimming longnecks were everywhere! Face it Ichy, it just wasn't a way to live."

"It's called adapting. You either shape up or ship out. Those regular longnecks shipped out, remember? We were going to be the ones who shaped up – fitting right in with the mists, taking advantage of the new rivers, making all the weird creatures our dinner. We might have even got used to those large swimming longnecks and carved out our own niche. But that takes time and look where your impatience to get somewhere got us – chased out of the Land of Mists on the threat of becoming someone's dinner! We can never go back and lean on the advantages we had there. Now we have to go the even longer route to get our next meal."

Dil grunted. "Don't think because you're the eyes you're also the brain. You didn't see him either. You couldn't fast talk your way out of the situation - you barely got us out of there alive. Look, we can pass blame all week if we want, but what's done is done. What's important is how this longer route is going to give us a meal."

Ichy was displeased to be denied the last word but he was tired from arguing and Dil did have a point. His gaze turned onward, to where the river bent and vanished into the distance.

"I've seen a few rivers like this whenever we neared the edge of the Land of Mists, and I've followed them some ways. Not much life kicking around but they do lead to some caves we can take advantage of. If we do this right, we can have all the morsels we need."

"Morsels for me, more like." Dil said. "You're doing well for someone who hasn't eaten much lately."

"That's because you thought I was some other feathered flyer and nearly ate me again!" Ichy snapped. "If that small domehead hadn't slipped into the river, I believe you really would have finished me off. That'd scare the appetite out of anyone."

"Still, you haven't chomped on much of my later catches." Dil paused, her next words laced with the slightest fraction of concern. "You should be too tired to fly by now."

Ichy shrugged. "Maybe I'm adapting to the sparse pickings. Or that whole escape mess is still giving me a high. Either way, I'll get my appetite back when we feast in the Great Valley."

Dil stopped so abruptly Ichy was nearly flung off her snout. "The Great Valley? You're kidding me!"

"No, but don't you see how brilliant it is?" Ichy said eagerly. He waved expansively. "Only plant eaters live there. Any meat eaters that wander in get chased out – usually because they're too big and stomping to stay hidden for long. But we're small enough to sneak around and nip any tiny prey unfortunate enough that stray near us. They can't know all the tunnels – by the time they think something's up, we can disappear back into the dark. We can time ourselves enough that it would take forever for them to get suspicious. After all, some dinosaurs must disappear or die in the Great Valley. They can't keep track of everyone."

Dil turned this over in her mind. Those were good points. The pair's smaller size might actually benefit them for once. It was hard to chase after intruders in a tunnel if you were larger than the tunnel. As long as they were quiet, they would be set for a while. Nevertheless…

"That still leaves us with even more big critters to be mad at us," she pointed out. "We won't have mists to keep us hidden. If we get caught too far from a cave, we're screwed."

"Ah, but without the mist we won't get lost." Ichy said. "I can scout the area and pick out potential targets. All we have to do is stay quiet and out of sight. This'll work, you'll see."

Dil sighed. Some part of her remained wary when Ichy had that scheming tone in his voice but the possibility of having enough prey to not go hungry for a while…it was too hard to resist. She was tired of going with an empty stomach for longer than was comfortable and worrying about danger all the time. At least in the valley, she could lower her guard a bit. Not to mention Ichy schemes didn't always go wrong. As much as he could drive her up the wall, she needed him for his eyes and brain. There was only one answer she could give him at the moment.

"If it gets us food, I'm not complaining," she grumbled. "I just hope no one recognizes our tracks."

Ichy waved dismissively. "I doubt they will. I've heard Great Valley born residents don't wander out and those that migrate there tend to stay put. They probably haven't encountered anyone like us. If anyone has, well…what are the odds we'll run into them? Let's just focus on the prospect of having a filling meal," he rubbed his wings together, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Yes…I can already feel my full stomach now."

* * *

Littlefoot yawned, working the stiffness out of his neck. He didn't get any sleep stories but he had a fine rest all the same. In his often adventurous life, having an uninterrupted and full sleep was a treasure, and he appreciated any time he could have it. As he looked around, he saw his grandparents seemed to feel the same way. They lay near Littlefoot as always, eyes closed and expansive forms curled near each other. Littlefoot smiled. It was sweet to see how close they were to one another, and to him. Also, he was pleased to wake up first this time.

"Grandpa, Grandma, get up!" Littlefoot called. "Time to rise and shine. It's a beautiful day."

They didn't stir. Littlefoot frowned. Well, hearing did fade a bit with age. Littlefoot sometimes had to raise his voice more than once to get their attention. He took a deep breath.

"C'mon, Grandpa, Grandma! You said you wanted the first taste of the water greens in the lake. You don't want to back out now!"

At this point, they normally would have groaned and grumbled affectionately that if Littlefoot wanted them to be punctual, they might as well get up. But not so much as a peep. Frowning further, Littlefoot wandered over.

"Grandpa? Grandma? Are you alright?"

As Littlefoot got mere feet from his grandparents, he noticed their massive sides weren't moving. Strange, everyone breathed in their sleep and it was especially noticeable in big dinosaurs like them. And even at their quietist, his grandparents made some noise. Yet he heard nothing.

That was when the smell hit his nostrils. Littlefoot twitched back at the sweet stench, which he couldn't immediately identity but made his stomach curl. He encountered this smell before, and not within a particularly good context. After a reluctant moment, his mind went back to the time of that encounter, when the sky water dampened the intensity but it was still something he couldn't ignore as he watched fruitlessly for life to come back to….

Littlefoot's breath hitched. "No. No, no, no."

Littlefoot raced forward, thrusted onto his hind legs to push on Grandpa's face, and ran to Grandma to do the same thing.

"Get up, please get up. Get up!"

He pressed his head against their noses, trying by some miracle to move their heads and stir consciousness back into them. There, Littlefoot noticed his ears hadn't been lying – he couldn't feel their breaths, the air that should be breezing in and out of their mouths and nostrils, that which made all life healthy and able to move on. Littlefoot continued to push and shove, the exertion forcing him to inhale more of that sweet, putrid stench he attempted desperately to ignore.

"Not you two." Littlefoot panted. "Oh, not you too!"

Littlefoot didn't stop trying to wake his grandparents even when it was clear he would get no response, not a startled snort, an abrupt expanse of lungs, or even the twitch of a tail. Wet pricked his eyes, and his heart pumped from more than the exhaustion that started to settle in his legs. Only when he didn't have any more energy to push and the stench became so unbearable did he stagger away and collapse. Littlefoot looked between Grandpa and Grandma helplessly, vision blurred, no longer able to stop himself from crying.

"Please, don't leave me now," he said "There's so much I want to do with you. You're the little family I have left. Grandpa! Grandma!"

"Littlefoot? Littlefoot!"

Littlefoot felt a nudge at his side, and his vision was blurring from more than tears. Blinking, he found himself right back in his sleeping spot and turned his head to see Grandpa and Grandma Longneck gazing at him with concern. They loomed over, his worried guardians, and very much alive.

"Are you okay?" Grandpa Longneck asked. "You've been making a lot of noise."

"You look like you've been crying." Grandma Longneck peered closer. "Did you have a bad sleep story?"

Littlefoot raised a paw and found wetness around one eye. He turned his head and rubbed the tears off.

"I'm fine." Littlefoot said hastily, voice also wet. He cleared his throat and looked up, smiling warmly. "I did have a bad sleep story, but I feel better now that you're here."

His grandparents smiled, touched. Littlefoot was being truthful – seeing his grandpa and grandma here made all the terror of the sleep story distant and blurry. But he didn't want to go into detail about it.

"We're glad to hear that." Grandpa Longneck replied. "But are you sure you're alright? Grandma and I are always open to discussing whatever might be upsetting you."

"As you're probably reminded once in a while," Grandma Longneck said wryly, "we've been around for a long time and seen a lot. We've even gone through struggles that might be similar to what you're facing now. If there's any way we can use our experience to help you, we wouldn't mind giving out advice."

Littlefoot hesitated, but shook his head. "I'm okay now. Maybe I'll tell you about it later if it really bothers me."

His grandparents nodded, ready to deal with such a response. Grandma Longneck looked at her husband.

"I believe there's still time to get the water greens in the lake," she said.

Grandpa Longneck nodded, chuckling. "There is. Come, no need to dawdle when we have bellies to fill."

The pair turned and began walking, and Littlefoot scrambled out of his sleeping nook to follow. He kept up, swinging his head around curiously, happy to be up and drinking in the sights of his beautiful home. If his grandparents watched him out of the corner of their eye, they would be reassured whatever troubled him had passed and focus on how they could entertain themselves for the day.

For Littlefoot, that trouble hadn't passed completely. Every once in a while that morning, he couldn't help surreptitiously watching his grandparents' gait, the way they drew in breath, how they got from point a to point b. Adult longnecks weren't known for their swift movement and his grandparents' pace wasn't that much different, he mused. Their breathing sounded fine. They got to the lake and located the green food in the water with little trouble, so their sense of direction was as good as Littlefoot remembered. They were in great health, and it appeared they could go on for a while yet.

*But how long will that last?* Littlefoot thought.

He struggled with the question. Littlefoot had always known his grandparents would pass, sooner or later. He suspected other children knew this with their guardians but that was something they could wait to deal with until they were grownups. But Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were older. They might die before Littlefoot became an adult. He didn't know what he would do if the signs came that their end was coming. Littlefoot jumped into action when Grandpa Longneck fell ill and risked his life to get him better. Littlefoot would do all he could to recuperate them but if there really was no delaying their demise, Littlefoot would be crushed.

*We've been with each other for so long but there's still so much I want to do with them. I haven't heard all of their stories. We haven't played much, though at their age they can't help that. At the very least, they can see me grow. I want them to be happy with who I'll become – that I can take care of myself and have a good life. I just hope they live long enough to see that.*

"Hey, Littlefoot!"

Littlefoot raised his head from the water greens his grandparents fished out of the lake to see Cera standing expectantly on a hill, twitching her head back.

"You finished eating yet? The others are waiting, c'mon."

"I'll be done in a minute!" Littlefoot thrust down and began finishing off the last of the green food but paused and looked up to his grandparents. "Will you be okay, Grandpa, Grandma? I can stay if you want some company."

Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "That's very considerate of you, Littlefoot, but play with your friends. We'll be fine."

"Your grandfather is right." Grandma Longneck said. "At your age, you should be enjoying your youth to the fullest. Trust us, we can find our own way of entertaining ourselves."

"Um, okay." With slight reluctance, Littlefoot returned to his green food. With a slurp, he swallowed the last of it and nodded to his grandparents. "See you later."

Littlefoot scampered over to where Cera waited. She led him to the meeting spot with some impatience.

"You took your time eating." Cera said.

"Sorry," Littlefoot said, "I was busy thinking."

"You can eat and think at the same time."

"Let's just say it was pretty hard thinking."

Cera gave him a curious look but didn't pursue the subject. They continued their jog until they found the rest of the gang near the cave Chomper and Ruby rested. Petrie was rocking from his perch on a rock, eyes lowered in oddly wistful thought but he perked up when Littlefoot and Cera arrived.

"Morning, Littlefoot," he waved. "You came in time. Chomper was about to tell us what he found in cave."

"Do they involve sky-colored stones?" Cera said. "I hope it won't go like last time."

The others looked at Ducky, who clasped her hands most innocently. "Oh don't worry, I've learned my lesson. Oh, I have. I'll be on my best behavior with whatever we find."

"I don't believe what he found would interest you in that…interesting way." Ruby chuckled. "Chomper found a cave system with a river that has interesting plants."

"Interesting plants?" Cera asked. "What kind of interesting?"

"These plants grow on rocks." Chomper replied. "I kind of saw them on the island me and my parents stayed on but these are…different. I think you'll like them. There are also cool water swimmers, they can jump like they're flying and everything!"

"Water swimmers can be flyers?" Petrie shook his head. "Me even more confused now than ever."

"There is much we haven't seen." Ruby said. "Our job growing up is to see a lot and learn a lot."

"Will it be the kind of growing and seeing that involves tasting these plants?" Cera asked. "Because the last time any part of my family tried that, me and Daddy had to look after Dinah and Dana because my big sister's mate got sick eating a funny plant…"

"Don't worry Cera." Ducky said. "If anything's wrong with the plants, I'm sure Spike will warn us. Right, Spike?"

Spike nodded proudly, and sniffed around, making a series of humming sounds that gave him joy. The others couldn't resist smiling.

"Well, I heard spiketails have hardier stomachs." Cera said wryly. "What might be delicious to Spike could make the rest of us hurl, so let's not be too eager for a nibble."

Spike gave her a bemused look but chuckled and shook his head. He wasn't going to deny Cera's assessment if it showed him in a positive light. Petrie meanwhile gave a shudder.

"Me hope there some light down there." He then added quickly. "Me do find it interesting but…if there anything dangerous in caves, me prefer to see it…even if it scare me even more."

Chomper smiled wisely. "Don't worry. Let's just say the lights will come from an interesting place. So, are you all up for it?"

There were nods and murmurs of assent. What Chomper hinted at tantalized their imaginations enough that they were willing to see it for themselves. Since this cavern was in another part of the valley, they began their trek, humming about adventuring and bantering like usual. Littlefoot became more cheerful. Nothing like a trek of exploration with friends to lift one's spirits. The disturbing dreams were the furthest thing from his mind. He was more interested in Ducky's amusing anecdote about two of her siblings switching places to stay with their father. The gang was so caught up with that, they barely noticed the local residents they passed, at least until one talked to them.

"Morning kids. Where are you off to?"

It was Mr. Clubtail, casually chewing some treestars that had luckily fallen from a tall tree. He spoke to Littlefoot and the others with a bit less of his characteristic gruffness but there was a keen gleam in his eyes that made the seven stop.

"Um morning, Mr. Clubtail." Littlefoot said. "We're just exploring some caves."

"Just going to gawk at some weird plants and water swimmers." Cera said. "Nothing unusual."

"Nothing unusual, huh?" Mr. Clubtail said wryly. "That's how it always starts."

"We'll be fine." Ducky said. "There are days when nothing bad happens. There are, there are."

Mr. Clubtail snorted. "That's what you say in the morning but by the afternoon, I wouldn't be surprised if you come back with tall tales about how you kids nearly got killed this time."

Littlefoot winced as he felt a dull thud in the pit of his stomach, the dream rising back unbidden in his mind. Fortunately, no one noticed this unusual reaction. A few laughed and sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, you're so dramatic." Chomper chuckled.

"Just for that, if anything does happen, you won't be told what happened." Ruby teased. "After all, there are adventures we haven't told everyone about."

"Though we tell you if we need rescue from anything." Petrie said nervously. "Just follow the screams. We make sure to be loud."

Mr. Clubtail sighed. "Either way, I can't help but think I'll hear something about you lot. Try to actually be safe. Some rare sweet bubbles are becoming just the right amount of ripe today, and it'd be annoying having to abandon them to save your hides again."

Cera rolled her eyes but Littlefoot stepped forward.

"We'll stay out of trouble, Mr. Clubtail," he said sincerely. "Enjoy your sweet bubbles."

Mr. Clubtail gave them a look of amused skepticism, but returned Littlefoot's nod of farewell all the same, and the gang moved on. Cera grumbled under her breath.

"It's not like we ask for help that often from that lazy tail," she said.

"He cares." Ruby said. "He doesn't want us to get hurt. He just shows his caring through grumpiness."

"Why doesn't he just show his caring straight out?"

"You don't always show your caring straight out." Ducky pointed out.

Cera opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out, so she resorted to glaring. Petrie landed on her frill, barely holding back a smile.

"Don't worry Cera," he said. "We find that your charm point."

Cera sniffed and shook Petrie off her head. "Well, that concern might be true, but he could have put it in a better way."

"He mightn't have put it in the nicest way," Littlefoot said reluctantly, "but caves can be dangerous. It wouldn't be the first time we got in trouble in one of them. Let's actually try to stay safe, okay?"

The others turned to stare at him for several seconds at the suddenly cautious tone in his voice.

"Okay?" Cera widened an eye quizzically. "It's not like we're planning to do anything else. We don't exactly search for danger. Don't think too much about it. Mr. Clubtail might be worried about us but I'm sure he also doesn't want one of his gorge fests interrupted."

Chomper nodded thoughtfully. "It is annoying when you're in the middle of eating some delicious flaily crawlies and something distracts you before you can swallow them."

Spike swished his head up and down in agreement, giving his friends a fond but exasperated expression. Littlefoot smiled at his friends' antics as he and Chomper led the gang to another part of the Great Wall, trying to ignore the uneasy prickling still in his tummy.

* I'll keep a better eye out for trouble.* Littlefoot thought. *Cera's right, I shouldn't think about this too much but…better safe than sorry. I might get a better view of what Chomper's going to show us.*

He wouldn't raise the issue again. It was clear from his friends' reaction to what he blurted that they thought it was odd and that he was being paranoid. Littlefoot had to admit, they would be right. He was letting the dream get to him more he wanted to. He didn't wish to bring down the mood when they were beginning a morning of fun and exploration. Time to just enjoy his day with his friends, as his grandparents told him to, and he wasn't going to turn down good advice from them.

They quieted as they approached the cave opening. A sleeping spiketail lay against a nearby tree, her snores quiet but nasally, and they slinked past not wanting incur the annoyance of an adult by interrupting her rest. They entered the cave opening, only tall enough for Ruby's head fin to brush the ceiling. The cave curved down, with the occasional sharp and narrow bends that were difficult to navigate in the lowering light level. Fortunately, the wider among them like Spike were able to squeeze through without much trouble and they soon heard the familiar sound of running water echoing off of cavern walls.

Chomper smiled. "We're close. Be careful where you stare, guys."

That vague comment left everyone bemused but Spike inhaled through his nostrils and he let out an intrigued bay. The others also worked their noses and identified an odd, not unpleasant wet plant smell. Interest tugged, they picked up their pace until they came out into a wider tunnel where their eyes were dazzled.

"Wow." Littlefoot said, and then squinted. "Ow."

Chomper chuckled. "Yeah, I said something like that when I first saw it too."

For covering the tunnel walls was a moss that emitted a glow. It was dim, no brighter than the buzzers whose rear ends could glow, but the greenish-gold was wondrous. It was everywhere, most of the lights barely shining out as small pinpricks but a few were clumped together enough that they actually pricked at their vision if they stared too directly at it. A few holes from above glinted morning light into the tunnel, providing the moss with the source to glow. It was like watching the bright circle shine through the green of leaves, only stranger and more beautiful. Littlefoot and the others took a moment to admire this surprise of nature.

"You were right, Chomper." Ducky said. "It is interesting. It is, it is."

"These are far from the only glowy plants we've seen." Cera said. "Still, they're fun to look at."

Petrie flapped up to examine the less bright moss. He didn't get too close, as though suspecting it might bite, but the wariness was mixed in with growing, sincere interest.

"It spooky." Petrie said. "But…it pretty too. I don't think it so bad."

"Maybe not so bad to look at." Ruby said. "But is it bad to taste? What do you say, Spike?"

Spike approached a nearby wall of moss, sniffing speculatively. After getting his muzzle near one spot, he nasally drank it in and considered what he got. Spike stepped back and shook his head, making a "nu-uh" sound. Everyone else laughed.

"If Spike's not going to touch it, then I'm not going to either." Littlefoot giggled. He smiled warmly. "Thanks for showing us this, Chomper."

"Hey, why see something amazing and not share it with your friends?" Chomper said modestly. He suddenly grinned. "And I'm not done sharing. There's the water swimmers I told you about."

He pointed at the river cleaving the tunnel ground into narrow paths. Narrowly shaped fish had just leapt out of the water, sailing through the air with translucent fins before diving out of sight. The others gasped and laughed with delight. Ducky jumped closer to the river.

"I can swim like that, I can, I can. Oh, I'm sure my brothers and sisters would love this. They like imitating water swimmers," she turned to the others. "Does anyone want to see me try it?"

"Sure!" Littlefoot said. "Maybe we can start practicing it."

"I don't think everyone's bodies is built for that." Cera said.

"You did fine with Ducky's swimming lessons," Ruby pointed out. "And we did fine with her swimming lessons. So why can't you do fine with this?"

Caught off guard, she bore everyone's looks before leaning toward the water and wiggling with her tongue stuck out determinedly.

"Alright, you asked for it! I'm going to master that swimming technique."

"Me too, me too!" Petrie said excitedly. "Swimming is like flying underwater, and me should be able to do the flying part."

"I don't want to be left out of this either." Chomper said.

"Alright, you guys!" Ducky made a beckoning motion. "Follow my lead!"

So saying, the seven stood near the river edge, and leapt in. They stroked underwater and noted the short distance to the bottom before surfacing and swimming after the flying fish, who sailed more quickly ahead, unnerved by these strange new pursuers. Ducky built up speed and imitated the fish's leaps with near perfection. The others were much less graceful. Petrie twirled in the air but fell on his back, Spike only achieved a few inches before falling with a great splash, Cera returned to the water in a belly flop, Ruby and Chomper only slid through the water faster, and Littlefoot unbalanced and rolled onto his side. They stumbled and bumped into each other, sending waves splashing in all directions. They were a jumbled mess. It would take a while to get the swimming move perfected.

Littlefoot resisted choking on water as he laughed. He kept an eye out for anyone who might get hurt from the chaos but that didn't mitigate his enjoyment of this silly game. They were chasing odd fish, in a cave with glowing plants. As far as Littlefoot was concerned, his spirits couldn't be higher. Being with those he considered as precious as family, exploring what was out there and playing to their heart's content was what living should be. He treasured such days and hoped there were innumerable more to come. He was so cheerful that even this morning's troubling sleep stories were far from his mind…

Meanwhile, farther back in the tunnel, Dil swam with Ichy as her passenger. It took a bit of a climb to get in here but Ichy swung his gaze about smugly. At last, they were in the fabled Great Valley and the whole population was theirs for the taking. So far, the only noise he heard was the rushing of water, the movements of the fish, and the activity of the valley from the holes above. From what he could overhear, the valley residents were oblivious to the threat passing beneath them. Yes, Ichy thought. As long as that ignorance remained, the pair wouldn't have to be hungry for a long time to come.

Which was why he was disconcerted to hear the laughter of children up ahead. Ichy hopped closer to Dil's ear.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered. "I didn't know kids played here."

Dil slowed to listen, and frowned. "Maybe some swimmers or underground types like to hang around here?"

"No, it doesn't smell like this place has regular visitors other than water swimmers. These kids have the scent of being the usual dinosaurs I hear live the valley. They don't seem like the type to hang around here."

Dil hummed. "They do sound kind of familiar. Should we make them our first main course?"

"Let's make sure no one knows where they are. If someone does know and we attack...that spells trouble for us."

"Good call." Dil replied. "I was going to tell you to get off anyway, your feet are still a bit too cold for my liking. Can't you get that fixed?"

"My feet are fine. You cold-blooded animals are just too sensitive." Ichy shook his head. "Never mind that. Let's see if we can warm ourselves with these kids' flesh."

Grumbling, Dill nevertheless went low into the water, her nostrils peaking out. Rolling his eyes, Ichy flew close to the ceiling so the annoying moss lights wouldn't give him away. As he neared the sound of laughing children, it became clear Ichy's sense of smell was correct. These youths were mostly land dwelling types and from their splashing in the river, they were exploring. Ichy flew even closer to the kids, seven in all, attempting to eavesdrop.

"How much farther can we swim anyway?" The threehorn said breathlessly. "If we topple over a waterfall, I'm going to be mad at you."

"Don't worry." A flyer did the backstroke. "Me could fly ahead and make sure nothing dangerous there."

"And we have Spike and Chomper to sniff out anything like that." A big mouth swimmer briefly jumped above the water, leading this group. "Besides, the water speed would change if a waterfall is coming."

"Even if there's no danger, we should go back at some point." The longneck said reluctantly. "We didn't exactly tell Mr. Clubtail where we were going, so if we get lost, our folks might have difficulty finding us."

There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the group, including the spiketail and two other kids but Ichy barely paid any attention to the latter pair. His eyes were wide. Dil's sense of smell was correct about these kids being familiar. The flyer flipped clumsily in his swimming and for a moment, his eyes were gazing in Ichy's direction. Ichy flinched but kept still and silent. The flyer looked away and continues his swim without any particular reaction. No one else looked up. Thankful they were wrapped up in their fun, he carefully zipped back to Dill.

"They're free pickings." Ichy said. "Oh, this is a reunion I can't wait to have."

"Reunion?" Dil repeated. "So we did meet them before. Did they see you?"

"One of them did look up but I don't think any of them noticed me."

"Stealthy, again." Dil's expression turned teasing. "You know, I'm kind of glad I almost ate you. It seemed to have scared you into becoming much better at skulking around for food."

Ichy huffed. "I've always been stealthy. Not many noticed me before and I always want to improve. It's just that I have had a great learning curve lately. Don't think too highly of your contributions."

"Yeah, well…all I care about is that your more useful now anyway." Dil said. "Anyway, who are these kids we met before?"

"Well..." Ichy smiled. "You might recognize them if you get close enough and have a taste."

Littlefoot, in the meantime, found his good cheer giving way to concern. Their splashing slowed, their attempts to imitate the leaps of their query (some of which were starting to succeed) draining their energy. They had long lost sight of the flying fish. This game wasn't going to last for much longer. Littlefoot examined his surroundings keenly. There wasn't as much of that glowing moss here and the even dimmer light level gave his earlier voiced worries more weight.

"I think we went far enough." Littlefoot said. "Want to head out?"

"Definitely." Ruby said. "My arms are definitely swimmed out."

Petrie nodded. "Me swimmed out too."

"Yeah." Ducky said. "Besides, it's getting too dark to swim."

Cera wasn't pleased but said, "Well, if Ducky's says so, maybe we should trek back."

"I'll use my sniffer." Chomper said. "I admit, I haven't gone this far out before. But I'll try to retrace our steps." He sniffed, and his brow furrowed. "Hmm, I didn't smell this before."

"What haven't you smelled before, Chomper?" Littlefoot asked.

"I'm pretty familiar with the water swimmers but there's something new here." Chomper frowned. "We've encountered this smell before…and I don't like it."

Littlefoot's neck prickled. "Should we get out of the water?"

"Maybe?" Chomper sniffed again, frowning harder. "When I smelled this smell, it was on land. I was scared when I caught it…there was a lot of running, even though they couldn't go very fast…" He trailed off, and panic twisted his muzzle. "Oh no! We really need to get out now!"

"What?" Petrie yelped, gazing about. "What in water?"

A growl rumbled behind them. Slowly, they turned to find a giant, vaguely triangular head rapidly approach, the rest of its long body surfacing, scarlet eyes fixed on them.

"Bellydragger, bellydragger!" Chomper exclaimed. "Out!"

They swam to shore with double the speed, kicking up waves to get away. Ducky was the first to reach shore and she beckoned quickly as Cera scrambled out after her. Spike nudged Petrie on his nose and heaved himself onto land. Ruby leapt out, swung her tail to a struggling Chomper, and fished him back to terra firma. Littlefoot slowed to give his friends space to surface. Reassured they were all safe on dry land, he desperately pawed at the shore. He could hear the bellydragger getting closer, closer, that rumbling growl rising as he was seconds away from becoming a meal. The others gripped his forelegs quickly and pulled hard. Littlefoot was grateful when he got hauled out just in time, the bellydragger snapping its mouth inches from his flailing rear legs and tail.

Littlefoot and the others pressed their backs to the far less mossy wall and cautiously crawled back to put more space between themselves and the immediate threat. The bellydragger followed them with a slightly unfocused gaze, an annoyed curl on its muzzle.

"Those screams really sound familiar," the bellydragger said. "Are these the kids I think they are?"

"Yep, Dil," a voice called out. "The same ones that were obsessed with those glowy flowers."

Shock and dread shook through Littlefoot and the others. They recognized these two predators.

"It's you guys!" Cera said. "The bellydragger and sharpbeak!"

"Me didn't want to see them again." Petrie gulped.

"What are you doing here?" Littlefoot demanded. "Shouldn't you be back in the Land of Mists?"

"Oh, we would like to." Dil growled, hatred in her tone. "But you guys are cursed. No sooner did you make your last minute escape that some new residents moved in and took all the food. Eventually, they drove us out!"

"So now we're here finding a new food source." Ichy said. "And what do you know, our old prey happens to live here," he then purred. "This is oh so convenient on all sorts of fronts."

"Oh, where is that sharpbeak?" Ducky scanned the tunnel ceiling anxiously, remembering all too well the terror of being snatched into the skies. "I can't see him. You'd better not eat us! Our folks – they know where we are, they do, they do!"

Ichy chuckled. "Nice try, big mouth. I've already overheard you lot say you didn't mention where you were going. If you end up disappearing, Dil and I will have some leeway while your parents desperately search everywhere for you. It seems dinner will be sweet indeed."

"You overheard us?" Petrie squeaked. "Did you notice a sharpbeak smell, Chomper?"

"No, I didn't!" Chomper said, distressed. "Water can dampen my sniffer but if he was above us, I should have caught something."

Chomper's statement caused Dil and the elusive Ichy to turn their attention to him and Ruby. There was a strangled pause from Ichy.

"You've got to be kidding me." Ichy said at last.

"Hey Ichy," Dil squinted, "is it just me or are there two new kids with them?"

"There are. They replaced the longneck girl with a fast runner. Goodness knows why, I thought they would be leery of anyone who can't decide between eating plants or meat. But that isn't the most shocking part. They replaced their fuzzy pet with – I can't believe this – a baby sharptooth!"

"A baby sharptooth?" Dil repeated. "You've pulling my leg!"

"I'm having a hard time believing it myself but my eyes aren't lying." Ichy protested. "A baby sharptooth is standing with them. It's bizarre."

"I'm not a baby." Chomper stepped forward defiantly. "And it's not bizarre to be with your friends."

Ichy and Dill gave a small double-take, mouths gaping as they goggled in Chomper's direction.

"Did – was that the sharptooth that just spoke in leaf eater?" Dil asked.

"Yeah." Ichy said, dazed. "His mouth moved and formed the same sounds as those green guzzlers. We're really encountering some high class weirdos here. And he said they're his friends. Did this little freak learn that language just for that?"

Chomper bristled at the insult. "To make a long story short, yes!" he snapped. "Save your comments on my taste in friends. We've heard them all."

"And I'd be careful at who you're calling freaks." Ruby said. "A bellydragger and sharpbeak speaking leaf eaters is pretty freaky too."

"Freaky? Pah!" Ichy scoffed. "It's a strategic advantage. When we encounter our food, we can know how they plan to fight back or escape, and cut them off. It's left us with some full bullies and you guys say some amusing things before you get eaten. I'm surprised more meat eaters haven't taken up such a great skill."

"Though I can understand why they don't." Dil said. "The gossip I hear from you leaf eaters while hiding or waiting to pounce can rot the brain. I almost lashed out too early several times to make the agony go away. There are times when I wish I didn't understand your stupid language."

Ichy sighed. "And as usual, your ignorance is annoying in any language. Stop missing the forests for the trees. Don't you understand you're sounding as stupid as this little biter who learned a language for something barf-worthy like friendship?"

"I'm not little!" Chomper said, stepping forward angrily.

Ichy chuckled. "Oh, I think we've hit a sore spot for him. He isn't going to be much of a threat. Dil?"

The bellydragger surged forward slowly, the flaps of Ichy not far behind, her mouth rising to land. Hurriedly, Chomper went over and stepped up.

"Don't you get any closer!" he said.

Dil and he stopped, caught off guard for a second, staring at Chomper as though unable to process what he was doing. Gradually, though, they began to laugh, their voices rising in volume until that mocking, hysterical sound reverberated around Littlefoot and the others. Chomper tensed.

"Are you…" Dil took a moment to catch her breath. "Are you seriously thinking your puny self can do anything to shield those leaf eater brats?"

"Oh, this is too rich." Ichy guffawed. "If we weren't so hungry, I'd suggest we'd keep him as a pet. Whose a stupid, mushy baby? He is, he is! Whose going to fail in protecting his friends because he's a weak sap? Why, the one over there! Oh, this'll be fun!"

"Be quiet! Nothing will happen to them!" Chomper said desperately. "If you touch them, I, I-"

He faltered, unable to think of a good enough threat. Ichy and Dill continued laughing, voices higher than ever. Chomper's shook his head to fruitlessly block out the sound, breathing becoming unsteady. He glared angrily even as a drop of fear entered those red eyes. Littlefoot stepped near him protectively.

"Chomper, don't let them get to you." Littlefoot said. "They're just trying to make sure we can't get out of here."

Dil sneered. "Some sharptooth. They are usually tough and scary but this one needs his leaf eater friends to defend him!"

"Yeah, a few jokes and he's already hyperventilating!" Ichy jeered. "He won't be any danger. He'll end up in our stomachs like the rest of his friends."

Chomper shook his head desperately. "No! I have a pretty powerful bite, it'll hurt and –"

Dil and Ichy only responded with more cruel laughter. Chomper slumped, gaze shaking helplessly. Littlefoot wanted to wrap his neck around Chomper comfortingly but now wasn't the time. From the predators' mirth, they were winding down the conversation and were about to go for another attack. Littlefoot examined the tunnel ceiling desperately for any sign of Ichy. On that Land of Mists adventure, the sharpbeak proved to be a nuisance that tripped the gang up while they tried to flee Dil, and he was a downright menace to Ducky and Petrie. They needed to know where he was so he wouldn't sneak up on them or rat out their location. Yet wherever Littlefoot looked, he couldn't spot Ichy, and panic rose. This part of the tunnel was dark yet not that dark. Did Ichy suddenly become even more experienced at hiding himself?

Dil chuckled lowly. "I'm getting bored of messing with these kids, Ichy. Let's have lunch."

"Yes." Ichy purred. "It's almost the afternoon. Now would be an appropriate time to fill our stomachs. Be sure to leave some for me, Dil."

"Don't worry. I won't swallow all of them whole, so you'll have some pieces."

Dil resumed her approach and all of them became very aware that bellydraggers got their name because they could move on land. Fear gripped Littlefoot and the others but it was Ichy's cackle overhead that made them lose it.

"Run!" Littlefoot shouted.

Screaming, the seven took off as Dil's jaws snapped around the place they stood a second ago. They raced down the way they came, Dil keeping up easily in the water. Whenever one of them got too close to the shore, she snapped at their feet or tails, and they leapt out of range and quickened their pace. All the while, Ichy's voice was never far behind, shouting directions and orders. Only with sheer speed did they avoid getting a limb torn off but Littlefoot didn't know how long that will last.

"I hope you picked up our scent of where we went, Chomper!" Cera panted.

Chomper sniffed desperately. "I – think I got something but we've been in the water for awhile, so we're going to have to keep going until I can be sure."

"I don't know how long we can run after that swim." Ducky said.

"We're going to have to know by continuing to run." Ruby said. "And hopefully we won't lead them into the valley in the meantime."

"That's right!" Littlefoot exclaimed. "The bellydragger might go up the river to the surface and the sharpbeak can fly after us. We can't have them hanging around the valley."

"Maybe the grownups can take care of them." Petrie said nervously.

"Maybe with the bellydragger but the sharpbeak's small, he can evade detection. We need to do something so neither would be –"

The water next to the fleeing gang exploded, and Dil shot out, her jaws descending upon them. Littlefoot and the others scattered and Dil's head landed with a crash. In the chaos, Littlefoot was pinned against the wall as she snapped her mouth at them, several of those snaps only missing him by a hair's breadth. Dil flailed her head too wildly for Littlefoot to move. He waited, terrified, for those teeth to make contact, but a voice rose out in defiance.

"Leave Littlefoot alone!"

Chomper charged in angrily, head lowered. Dil whipped to his voice and the force of the head movement knocked Chomper off his feet. He fell hard, whimpering and gripping his head. Dil continued thrashing to bite Littlefoot, who remained just as trapped. He didn't know how he was going to escape until Dil focused her attention on Ducky, Spike, and Petrie on one side. A slender arm grabbed his foreleg and snatched him out of Dil's reach.

"There you go, Littlefoot." Ruby said.

"Thanks, Ruby." Littlefoot panted.

Cera's teeth grabbed the scruff of Chomper's neck and she dragged him off, annoyed.

"You're not a threehorn, don't act like one," she growled.

"I'm sorry for getting in the way." Chomper muttered.

"Never mind that now." Littlefoot said. "She cut us off, where do we go?"

"Into our stomachs!" Ichy jeered. "Get them, Dil!"

Dil advanced eagerly on Ducky, Spike, and Petrie, apparently holding a particular grudge against the trio for thwarting her and Ichy last time. Littlefoot jerked his head about for some sort of way out. In the low light, he couldn't see much of anything and he automatically leaned against the nearest wall to keep his distance from Dil, only to find there wasn't any wall at all. Littlefoot stumbled, rebalanced himself, and turned to find a smaller tunnel whose destination vanished around a bend. Hope leapt up his throat.

"Guys, an escape route!" Littlefoot said. "The bellydragger can't follow us here!"

The others did a double take and visible relief came on their faces.

"This is good news." Ruby's brows creased. "But Ducky, Spike, and Petrie can't reach this good news!"

Littlefoot turned to where the trio backed away from Dil and shouted, "Guys, look for a tunnel and escape down it! There are ones around here!"

The trio were only slightly reassured by this suggestion.

"But how?" Petrie yelled. "It dark!"

"Press against the wall!" Cera replied. "You'll be bound to fall down one!"

Realizing her prey found a route to escape, Dil angrily turned on Littlefoot, Cera, Chomper, and Ruby but the four yelped and went down their little tunnel. Dil was consternated to find her shoulders slam against the walls on either side of the tunnel and she couldn't go any further.

"Dang it, they're getting away!" Dil growled.

Ichy fluttered above her head. "Then get the other ones Dil!"

Disgruntled, Dil turned and followed the sounds of the trio slamming themselves against the wall in search of an escape route. Ducky, Petrie, and Spike backed away when they saw her advance, keeping their sides hugged to the wall in hopes of running into something that wasn't wall.

"Spike, sniff for a tunnel!" Ducky exclaimed.

Spike flared his nostrils, looking forward where Dil blocked the path Littlefoot and the others took and backward where their ultimate escape route was so far away. Spike didn't know what he was smelling for. Ichy and Dil approached, the former watching in anticipation as Dil's opening mouth closed the distance with the helpless trio…

With Ducky and Petrie on his neck, Spike slid back and the three yelped as he fell into a small hole that barely accommodated his size. Scrambling, Spike's tail vanished down the tunnel and Dil's mouth closed around only air. She snarled.

"Did they escape, Ichy? Dang it all, I nearly had them!"

"I'll search for a route to get them, Dil." Ichy replied. "I'm definitely getting better at this stealth thing. Their expert nose sharptooth couldn't even find my scent. The benefits of my new bathing plan, I guess," he added, preening. "Wait around here and I'll get back to you."

Ichy looked between the two holes and decided to go after Littlefoot's little party. The annoying longneck appeared to be the leader of this odd herd and it was likely the remaining three would go for his group. Best to see how they plotted against the pair and find a dastardly way to circumvent them.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot and the others were desperately navigating the small tunnel complex in hopes of reuniting with Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. Chomper still nursed a headache, so he wasn't in any shape to help. Littlefoot hoped charting a route in the direction the trio were last seen would lead to a reunion. He silently flagellated himself as seconds of nothing ticked by.

*If I said no to this trip…* Littlefoot thought. *If there really are no holes further down-*

Cera cried out when someone ran into her. Littlefoot whirled to find Spike collided with Cera in the low light, Ducky and Petrie atop him. Relief came across everyone and Spike ran forward to lick the four.

"Ack. Okay. Stop." Cera sighed fondly. "A nuzzle would have sufficed you know."

Spike chuckled and abided with a gentle head bump, Cera no longer protesting. They settled down to business once Spike calmed down.

"Alright, we really in trouble." Petrie said. "How do we stop them from going into valley?"

"Me and Chomper aren't familiar with these caves but those two plan to be familiar with them so they could slip in and out, and eat anyone they can get their mouths on." Ruby said.

"And we're distracting them from their plan. If they do get us…" Ducky covered her mouth. "Oh no, oh no…"

"So while we distract them, let's ruin their plan." Cera said grimly. "We bury the river entrance and anywhere else that could get them out on top. Making sure they're distracted while we do this might be a problem though…"

"So we split up." Littlefoot sighed. "If we must…" He examined his friends carefully. "Cera, you go with Chomper, Petrie, and Ducky. Hopefully Chomper might sniff out the entrance. Be sure to keep Ducky and Petrie close by. Spike, you're coming with me since you have a good nose as well. Ruby, hopefully we can put our heads together and keep the pair distracted long enough that we can come up with something better. Is that clear?"

There were nods, some more reluctant than others. Not everyone was pleased by this arrangement.

"So me and Ducky are with Cera just to be protected?" Petrie said miserably.

"You can at least fly or swim out into the valley to survey how big the river entrance is." Littlefoot said. "That would help in bringing it down."

"But you spoke like being protected is the only important thing." Ducky said.

"It is important. The sharpbeak is a danger to you. I have to have you protected."

The pair weren't exactly convinced but Spike stepped closer with a beseeching expression, pained that he couldn't be their protector. He sent an uncertain look toward Littlefoot, who briefly had second thoughts. He glanced at Chomper. Should Littlefoot have Spike and Chomper switch places, so Ducky and Petrie would be more assured with another protector? No, Chomper's nose was stronger and that needed to be used with disposing of the river entrance.

"No, the groups stay as they are." Littlefoot said. "You all play a role, I assure you."

"But not with the bellydragger." Chomper said surly.

"Chomper, let's not get into this. Any second, any second, the sharpbeak will-"

"You were thinking that when you looked at me, weren't you?"

"For goodness sake, keep your personal drama for later." Cera said impatiently. "Right now-"

A familiar and unwelcome cackle intruded upon them. Jumping, they turned to the little passageway where the sound echoed from, the widest of this little network. There was enough space for someone much bigger than them to come in and sure enough a pair of red eyes were emerging from the darkness. The echo of flapping wings were prominent above the bellydragger.

"Now, don't mind us." Ichy said. "Argue some more. It makes it easier for my friend to find you."

Littlefoot turned to the others. "Go! You know what to do!"

There was no argument. They separated into two groups, Littlefoot's group racing down a tunnel wide enough to accommodate the three walking side to side while Cera's pack went through a passageway with barely the sufficient amount of space for Cera to move without scraping one of her sides. Dil went after Littlefoot's group without any hesitation but paused when she noticed Ichy lingering at the intersection of tunnels.

"What's the holdup?" she asked.

"I overheard a bit of their plan when scouting ahead." Ichy replied. "Maybe we should split up to sabotage their…sabotage."

"Not right away. I can't see much without you."

Ichy rubbed the bottom of his beak thoughtfully. "Alright, we'll have some fun with the longneck, spiketail, and fast runner. They grouped the small ones around the threehorn and sharptooth because they're afraid of what I'd do to them. So it'd be fun if the three stop hearing my voice while you corner them somewhere and puts two and two together that I'm getting myself a snack."

Dil grumbled with pleasure. "Fear does add a certain spice to the meal. Alright, let's see what you can spook up."

* * *

Littlefoot kept checking behind him as he, Spike, and Ruby continued their jog. They slowed down when they noticed their pursuing query wasn't fulfilling the pursuing part of the bargain.

"Have they gone after Cera's group?" Littlefoot wondered. "If they have…"

Ruby placed a soothing hand on Littlefoot's shoulder. "You're plan will work, Littlefoot. Cera and the others have went down the narrower tunnel as planned. Not to mention us bigger dinosaurs are here to get the sharpbeak and bellydragger's attention, correct?"

Spike's eyes widened on confusion for a moment. Then something clicked and he glanced at Littlefoot with narrowed eyes. Littlefoot couldn't meet his gaze.

"I did think the bellydragger would follow our group if the larger of us were here." Littlefoot said sheepishly. "But the reasons I said to the others are true too. Don't worry, we'll be with each other every step of the way. You might even get an opportunity to get another whack at that sharpbeak, Spike."

Spike was only somewhat mollified. The slap-click of a massive low-lying body moving in their direction put to rest any further discussion as Dil's silhouette became clear behind them.

"There they are, Ichy." Dil's voice echoed. "Having another one of their chats."

In spite of their better judgement, the trio lingered so Dil could close some distance before fleeing at a light jog. Littlefoot was only slightly reassured to hear the flap of feathered wings. That meant Ichy also couldn't resist the lure of larger prey. Cera and the others could now do their work unmolested.

The trio came across an intersection, featuring more of the variety passageways, one of whom ascended up in a spiral. Littlefoot ignored that feature, scanning the ones wide enough for Dil carefully.

"Are we trying to get them lost?" Ruby whispered. "How do we not get lost with them?"

"Can you still remember the scent of that glowy greens, Spike?" Littlefoot asked. "We might need to rely on your nose to get out."

Spike took a whiff of the air, and nodded quietly. Hearing that slap-click becoming faster, Littlefoot pointed toward the widest of the tunnels to the left and they picked up their pace. Dil could be heard still closing the distance, unleashing another of her hungry rumbles loud enough to vibrate their chest cavities.

"You're getting close Dil!" Ichy said gleefully. "So close! Closer, closer, closer -"

The repeated word filled Littlefoot with panic, as intended. They couldn't run forever. Their games had taken a lot of energy. Sooner or later this latest bout of running would drain the last of their stores and they would be at the mercy of Ichy and Dil. Littlefoot, Spike, and Ruby felt air get displaced from Dil's bites near their tails, and Littlefoot quickly looked for a place to retreat to. He spotted a narrow opening that led to a cave and pond, complete with an even smaller opening on the other side. His heart leapt.

"Over there!"

Littlefoot dived through the hole, Ruby not far behind him. There was a thunk and Spike was wedged in the hole. Littlefoot and Ruby's heart froze but Spike only had to do a bit of pulling and he popped out. It was just in time, as Dil's jaw rammed through and got wedged in place. She cried out, red eyes darting about in consternation.

"What, what?" Dil said. "Dang you kids!"

The others took several steps back at her anger, struggling to catch their breath.

"I – I think that'll hold her off for now." Ruby panted.

"Maybe." Littlefoot lowered his voice to a whisper and drew close. "We might have to make it hide and seek to recharge until the others could finish their mission."

"We'll have to vary things up so they wouldn't become suspicious."

Littlefoot nodded. He was glad to have Ruby around. As the oldest and having spent most of her life surviving in the Mysterious Beyond, her insights with hiding from predators were valuable. The trio hugged against the other wall, stepping a bit into the pond. Spike stumbled, the depth further than he thought. With the bellydragger's sight problem, maybe they could evade her when they squeezed out the other exit. Dil tried to shove her head further through with no success.

"I'm going to get you, somehow!" Dil shouted. "You can't stay in there forever, and when you leave-"

Dil shoved back out and in, unable to handle the tightness pressing onto her muzzle. In response, cracks snaked outward and several pieces parted from the edge to tumble upon the ground. Dil froze. She repeated the action, the hole cracking a bit wider, allowing her jaws a few more inches in. A slow grin crossed her face.

"You know what?" Dil said. "Stay in there for as long as you want. I'll be coming to you."

Dil backed out and shoved in again, more pieces tumbling down. Littlefoot and the others found themselves hugging against the wall as Ichy's laugh loudly bounced off the walls.

"You got her to use her brains," he hissed. "Now you're really in trouble."

"You just got to use my triumph as an insult, don't you Ichy?" Dil growled.

"That was a compliment, don't act like a stinging buzzer."

Littlefoot's eyes flitted to the other, smaller exit, mentally calculating how many seconds squeezing through the hole would take. It would be close but they had few other options. With a head flick, Littlefoot beckoned the others to follow. He smooshed through and met resistance but a quick shove from Ruby and Spike got him out. Ruby had more luck, bending down and squeezing her limbs against herself tightly before popping out. She and Littlefoot turned with forelimbs at the ready as Spike came through. As they feared, he got wedged halfway through and they grabbed his forelegs and pulled hard, the scrape of his rear feet desperately kicking on the other side prominent even through the wall.

"Come on, Spike." Ruby said. "Suck in your stomach. Go in and out as the bellydragger did."

Spike sucked in breath and thrust himself back and forward, causing a few cracks to come in. He got through a few more inches but the roar of a collapse in that cave was deafening and time ticked away.

"Spike, move!" Littlefoot shouted. "We need to-"

The wall around Spike cracked harder and exploded. The three were sent back, pelted by debris. Littlefoot's knocked against the opposite wall, and stars burst in his eyes. Spike landed upside down, a circle of rocks clinging to his middle. Ruby shook her head and already stood alertly. The dust cleared, Dil marched through the wider opening she made for herself, and she shook her head.

"You didn't need to make that much of a dramatic entrance!" Ichy said, coughing.

"Hey, I didn't expect the walls to be so thin." Dil replied. "You should have caught that."

Ruby stirred. "The walls are thin here…"

No one heard her. Dil gave a hiss and advanced until only several feet separated the trio from certain death. Awakening with a head shake, Littlefoot sprung up.

"C'mon, let's go!"

Littlefoot ran and he could hear the patter of Ruby keeping up but soon became aware another set of footsteps weren't beside them. The pair turned to find Spike had just upright himself against the wall, the ring of rocks still clinging to him. He was cornered by Dil and shook with terror. There was still plenty of space for Spike to flee but he seemed rooted to the spot, eyes not wavering from the bellydragger.

"Spike, get out of there!" Littlefoot shouted.

Spike didn't dare move. Frustration welled up in Littlefoot but then he saw how Dil swept her head back and forth in Spike's direction, occasionally squinting. Dil was blind, and especially had a hard time seeing still figures. If Spike moved, he likely feared he might get spotted and pounced on. That was an understandable worry dealing with a large bellydragger but Littlefoot knew that Dil would sooner or later spot him or that Ichy might guide her to him. He had to take a chance very soon, or he might have no chance at all.

Quickly looking around, Littlefoot spotted the pebble-like remains of the wall Dil broke through and an idea occurred to him. Remembering what Shorty taught him, Littlefoot came back and flicked several rocks at Dil with his tail. They crackled on her forehead and she snarled at them, giving Spike an opening.

"You have to move, Spike! Move, move!"

Spike stirred, and stared at Littlefoot. For a second, his mind seemed to blank, as though not sure what to do. But then Spike saw Dil swing her head about, realizing prey was nearby through Littlefoot's call, and was shocked into action. To Littlefoot's relief, Spike began to gallop past Dil, but the remains of the wall around his middle started breaking apart. Spike slipped and slid, stumbling over the wall pebbles from his middle just as he had passed Dil's head. Dil turned and snapped at him. Spike continued to stumble and slip, terror on his face as he barely dodge those rapidly closing bites…

 **Next time…**

 **From the Mists Part 2**


	2. From The Mists Part 2

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **The Analyzer**

 **Chapter 02: From The Mists Part 2**

Littlefoot watched in horror. He didn't even consider the wall remains attached to Spike; it didn't enter his mind for how to rescue his friend. If he had, it wouldn't occur to him that it breaking apart might prove an obstacle. Littlefoot should have thought more, but it was too late now and Spike might pay the price for this oversight…

At last no more pebbles were falling and Spike's tail at last snagged out of Dil's reach as he ran over to his friends. Dil attempted to follow but was thwarted when she stepped on those pebbles and kept slipping. Spike caught up to Littlefoot and Ruby, and the trio fled before Dil could catch up.

"Are you okay, Spike?" Littlefoot asked. "I'm sorry, you nearly got bitten because I didn't think about those rocks."

Glancing at Littlefoot in confusion, Spike nudged his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile, indicating he didn't blame Littlefoot for what happened. Instead, he thrust his head back to their pursuers and made a sound of exasperation and distress. Littlefoot nodded sadly, understanding.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said. "I'm tired of getting into these life-or death adventures too. We get into so many of them. Hopefully, after we get out of this one, we'll get a reprieve."

Ruby waved for their attention.

"I believe I have an idea that might distract the bellydragger and give us a reprieve," she said.

"What do you mean? Distract them by making her and the sharpbeak fight?" Littlefoot asked. "How would that help? They practically argue all the time."

"I don't mean that kind of distraction. Though that's an interesting kind of idea." Ruby considered it before resuming. "I think we're near walls of glowing greens, and the walls are brittle around here, right? So what if we had the bellydragger snap at the walls and bite into the green stuff that even Spike wouldn't sample? If it tastes bad enough, she'll be distracted trying to wash that taste out of her mouth and we won't be distracted while we rest up and think of what to do next."

Littlefoot beamed. "Brilliant, Ruby! Spike, are the glowy greens close?"

As though apologizing for briefly freezing up, Spike sniffed determinedly. After several seconds, he nodded eagerly. Ruby and Littlefoot's spirits rose higher. They had a plan. They could hold their enemies back in a more active fashion, and keep the valley safe. The quicker the three implemented the plan, the more likely that hope became a reality.

"Spike, lead us to a cave where the other side of the wall is glowy plants." Littlefoot said. "Someone's going to taste that green stuff for you."

In the meantime, Dil followed quickly in the wake of the sound of those little footsteps. Those pebbles hadn't delayed her too much, only given the trio enough time to keep a good distance ahead of her. They still made enough noise for even an unobservant creature to follow and Dil could work herself up to a fast pace when she wanted to. The trouble was, she couldn't move quickly forever and she began becoming slightly breathless.

"Where do these kids get all the energy?" Dil huffed.

"They're kids." Ichy answered. "Growing up packs them with energy. They don't yet have to worry about lugging around so much weight."

"Watch what you're implying," she growled.

"I wasn't talking about your weight." Ichy said impatiently. "I'm just saying I'm not as swift and nimble as I was when I was a hatchling. It takes a while to adapt to moving around as an adult."

Dil grunted. "I hope you stealth adaptation hasn't lost its touch then, because I want you to see where those kids are going so we can actually corner them. I have my doubts about your ability to stay out of sight lasting long."

"Hey, have more faith in me." Ichy replied. "If even they're sniffers couldn't find me, I doubt they'll see me anytime soon."

Ichy accelerated ahead, following the sounds of Littlefoot, Spike, and Ruby. They quickened their pace enough that they disappeared from view. Through the twist of passageways, he eventually found them in yet another cave, this one with a hole big enough for Spike. They had tucked themselves under an overhang, where the shadows nearly hid them from sight. The three were pressed close together, for mutual comfort, their heads rising uncertainly.

"Are you sure we'll be safe here?" Littlefoot was asking.

"Positive." Ruby said. "This cave is quite out of the way and she can't see very well anyway. If we keep quiet, she might walk past us and never hear we're here."

"What about that sharpbeak?"

"If he comes through that hole, we're bound to notice and hear him. This'll hold up until we come up with our next course of action."

Ichy smiled deviously, hovering above the ledge. Oh, how wrong they were. He and Dil would play along but just when they let their guard down, Dil shall pounce. The mental image of their reaction was delicious. Ichy silently swung in place and was about to return to Dil when a shape to his right made him stop. He glided closer, eyes adjusting to the low light as he comprehended what was in front of him.

His smile, if possible, became even more devious.

Dil heard the familiar flap of Ichy returning to her.

"We have them where we want them," he whispered. "Allow me to show the way."

With Ichy's quietly spoken directions, Dil took a series of left turns at a few intersections before she found herself nosing yet another narrow hole. Like the one before, this entrance had thin enough walls that Dil could break through without much hassle. However, Ichy hissed into her ear and urged her onward. She made clearly audible steps as her side brushed against the wall, wondering what Ichy was thinking. The brats were clearly in that cave. She should just barge in and take them down.

Then she tripped slightly as she found a part of her was leaning against nothing at all. Dil backtracked and squinted at this absence of wall. There was a swoosh around her from Ichy that made her take a step in and she realized what he had been actually leading to this whole time.

A wider, darker entrance where she wouldn't be seen. Dil smiled.

*No wonder he was trying to keep in his chuckles* she thought approvingly. *Even with all his squawking, there is a reason I keep him around.*

Quietly, she padded into the cave, scanning what she could and taking a few experimental sniffs. Her nose wasn't up to the leagues of some sharpteeth but it had proven more reliable than her sight and it told her the general direction of where to go. She made airs of examining areas of the cave to the right, almost sensing Littlefoot, Spike, and Ruby hearing but unable to visually track her whereabouts. Let the three think she was too blind to notice them. There were some advantageous to being underestimated.

"I don't see them, Ichy." Dil said to thin air. "Are you sure you saw them go in – wait, what is that?"

On those last four words, Dil delighted at the thrill of movement to her left that indicated a series of startled jumps. Slowly, she turned her head and found three forms trying to phase through the walls. She gave Littlefoot, Spike, and Ruby her best crocodilian smile.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you ran off to. You need to stop doing that."

"Please, leave us alone!" Littlefoot said, pleading. "We hate these dark tunnels. We just want to get out."

"Don't worry, I'll get you out." Dil purred. "You'll be perfectly safe – digesting in my belly."

"No!" Ruby gasped. "That isn't the way we want to get out at all!"

"Tough!" Dil snapped. "I want a lot of things but I had to compromise with not always catching prey, never being full enough! Being a poor-sighted predator sucks, and when I can find food that can fill my stomach, I sure as muck am not going to compromise!"

Spike whimpered, cringing down in fright. Dil turned her attention to him, licking her chops longingly.

"Ah, that's right. You're the one who robbed me of a meal back in the Land of Mists because you stopped giving everyone the silent treatment. You always looked the plumpest amongst these brats. I might as well have my revenge and a satisfying first bite at the same time!"

Dil snapped forward, making to bite for Spike. Faster than she expected, Spike rolled away and her snout slammed into rock. Dil grunted in pain, and before she could do anything else, Ruby hopped onto her snout and followed Spike. Littlefoot was next, his forefeet landing hard in his rush and his hind feet joining in before he leapt off. That allowed Dil to finally emit a sound.

"Ow! You're going to pay for that!"

Dil swung, snapping at the trio and nearly getting their feet. They jumped back and Dil advanced, her throat rumbling in consternation. Littlefoot, Ruby, and Spike were unabashed.

"We're not going to enter your stomach without a fight!" Littlefoot declared.

"You can't catch us!" Ruby said.

Dil growled. "I hate cheeky food!"

Dil made one more grab at them, and they squealed and scampered back. Dil was undeterred. The three didn't have anywhere to go. Their retreat would lead them to be pressed against another wall and if they dared to flee around her, the spaces were narrow enough that they wouldn't escape the reach of her snaps. She had only time to kill as she snapped at them again and again, occasionally brushing close to their legs but also nearly getting startled heads and clumsy tails. They weren't exactly graceful and their coordination would probably improve if they stopped urgently glancing at the wall. Dil surmised they were mentally counting down to their deaths, which only endangered their chances of delaying the inevitable.

"Almost…almost…" Ruby was muttering.

Dil laughed and made a strike for her ankles. "Yeah, yeah, it's almost time for you to die. Whatever makes it easier to deal with. I once had a fuzzy who sang annoyingly as one last curse to his fate. There are days where I switch between liking or hating Ichy for making me learn leaf eater."

"We know some songs that will drive you around the bend." Littlefoot said.

"Then start singing. As long as I can gulp something down, I don't care how annoying you are."

Soon, the trio were up against the cave wall. They looked amongst themselves, breath bated. Dil scanned the whole lot, finding her preferences shifting.

"Alright, new order." Dil said. "The longneck first. You're the leader of this annoying merry band and it would be a great relief if their lucky charm is taken care of for good."

"Oh no." Littlefoot panted. "Sorry guys. Sorry."

"That's right." Dil chuckled, surging closer. "You should be sorry for ever crossing us…"

"Now!" Ruby shouted.

Dil was caught off guard but had enough sense to snarl for her prize. Littlefoot zipped to the side, missing her by inches. That wasn't enough to keep him safe, as she snapped for him once more. He dodged again, oddly keeping close to the wall. He spun to face her and in that moment her eyes were drawn to the flutter of movement that was his tail. A third bite attempt followed, and Littlefoot dodged, fast and swift as always.

This time, though, not fast enough.

Littlefoot yowled at the top of his lungs as Dil's teeth closed around the tip of his tail. It wasn't much, nothing more than a few inches but Dil's grip was hard and it was enough to keep him from going anywhere.

"She's got me!" Littlefoot yelled.

Ruby and Spike charged in and grabbed Littlefoot's tail, pulling with all their might. Littlefoot yelled from the strain but his tail didn't so much as budge. Dil pulled from her end in turn.

"Oh no, you don't." Dil said, muffled. "You won't escape."

She opened her mouth slightly and gobbled up another inch of Littlefoot's tail. The pair tugged back, not willing to give any more ground to the bellydragger, Ruby's movements quick and panicked. Littlefoot moaned, the agony clear in his voice and yet no matter how much they attempted to get away from Dil, her jaw power was as strong as ever.

"Something," Ruby said, "there must be something that'll make her let go!"

"Ruby, Spike, don't risk yourselves!" Littlefoot then moaned. "Oh, I can't take much more of this."

Ruby looked around anxiously, desperately. "I can't – what should I do? There's nothing on the tip of my tongue-"

"The only thing on the tip of my tongue is this longneck's tail." Dil said. "Shall I bite it off? It tastes good enough already."

"We'll stop – wait. Biting is above the tongue. Maybe – maybe the answer is above too!"

Abruptly, Ruby abandoned Littlefoot and rapidly approached Dil, swinging out a foot for an almighty kick. It connected with a blaring amount of pain. Dil made a muffled "ow" but didn't let go. Ruby didn't give up though, and gave a second kick with her other foot, followed by a third kick. As a fast runner, Ruby's legs had a lot of strength, so Dil's snout was nearly numb from the assault when she brought one foot up and crashed it down atop the bellydragger's nose. Littlefoot cried out as more pressure pressed down on his tail tip but it was only momentary as Dil opened her jaws to yell out in pain and released Littlefoot from her grip. Hastily, the trio staggered away.

"Are you okay, Littlefoot?" Ruby asked.

Littlefoot flicked his tail experimentally and winced. "I think I'm not going to move my tail much the next couple of days. Now what do we do? That was supposed to be the determinate dodge!"

"We should…" Ruby rubbed her hands together anxiously. "I can't ask you or Spike to do that again…"

"Urgh." Dil blinked and twitched her snout, scowling at the trio. "Just because you have a fast and hard kick doesn't mean you can hold me off forever."

"Fast? That's it." Ruby relaxed and smiled. "Oh, you think so. Have you ever tried to catch a fast runner before?"

"First time for everything. Even fast prey can't do much in a narrow space like this."

"Do you want to bet?"

Dil's long face pinched in consternation and she snapped. Quickly, Ruby zoomed to the side, nudging the base of Dil's jaw. That only earned her another bite attempt but Ruby easily dodged around to the bellydragger's other side to give a light kick to the nose. Ruby evaded Dil once more and continued on this reckless pattern, touching some part of Dil's head to get her attention and then avoiding Dil's biting snarls, leading her closer to the cave wall. Littlefoot and Spike watched her, having some idea of her plan and being very concerned.

"Isn't she being a bit reckless?" Littlefoot whispered.

Spike gazed helplessly at Littlefoot and could only bay his confused agreement as Ruby continued her reckless plan until she was backed to that wall. Littlefoot and Spike stepped forward but she caught their eye and subtly shook her head for them to stand back. Her confident expression didn't waver as Dil's muzzle came within inches of her feet.

"I never tasted fast runner before." Dil said. "I heard the legs are delicious. They'll be the first to go."

Dil reared a few feet on her hind legs. She gave a growl of anticipation and dived straight for Ruby's feet faster than expected of someone her size, hunger and a longing to catch one of the hated children, even one she wasn't familiar with, giving her the energy to be swift.

Ruby was still faster. At the very last second, she ran to the side, leaving Dil's wide open jaws to crunch onto the wall and break it into bits. Dil landed back down with a thud, much of those wall pieces in her mouth, many of which showed glimpses of glowy green.

"What the…" Dil said, muffled. She stopped, eyes widening. "Oh my goodness, what's this gross taste? Get it out, get it – ack!"

Speaking only rubbed her tongue further against the mossy rocks and pushed a few down her throat. She made a gagging sound and charged forward, going through the hole in the wall she created and splashing into the tunnel river, coughing out the mossy wall bits and lapping up water when she cleared her mouth. She pawed at her tongue, alternating between saying "yuck" variations of, "Dang it, Ichy!" She paid no attention to Littlefoot, Spike, and Ruby whatsoever as they tentatively came over to watch the display. Littlefoot winced as his tail tip gave a twinge but he ignored that to turn appreciatively tow Ruby.

"That was smart thinking, Ruby," he said. "For a second, I was worried you were being too rash for your plan to work out but you managed to get it to work."

"Yes." Ruby murmured. "That plan did plan itself out…I'm glad it did." She shook her head. "Well, just like we've planned, it seems like clearing out that disgusting green fuzz would keep her occupied for a while."

Littlefoot nodded. "The sharpbeak must be very mad at the bellydragger right now."

Ruby frowned. "Yes, but I'm not hearing any lecturing from him. Strange. Even from what I've briefly heard, they like to argue a lot. Why aren't they arguing now? I haven't heard the sharpbeak in a while…"

Spike sniffed, and also frowned. He sniffed again, turning around and even padding over to the entrance Dil emerged from to pick up a scent. He worked those nostrils hard and by the time he returned to Littlefoot and Ruby, he wore a worried look on his face. The others stared nervously.

"What is it, Spike?" Littlefoot asked. "Can you – can you smell the sharpbeak?"

Distressed, Spike swished his head side to side. Ruby put a hand to her mouth.

"If we haven't heard him in a while, that might mean he hasn't been here in a while."

Their stomachs sank in horror. Despite the trio's best efforts, Ichy gamed them and was going after Cera and the others.

* * *

Cera kept a close watch of the river as she and her chosen companions for this mission journeyed passed it. After they parted from Littlefoot's team, they went as far as possible through those passageways before they spiraled off in other directions and they were forced to return to the river tunnel. As of yet, they saw no signs that a bellydragger was going to emerge from the river but the group didn't like taking those chances and were on the lookout for any other passageway entrances they could use. At least in the passageways, the bellydragger wouldn't be able to catch up with them as quickly on land as in water. They had been moving in silence for a while now and though outwardly they seemed mostly calm, inside their minds kept going back to what might be happening to their remaining friends.

"Are we getting any closer to getting out of here?" Cera asked finally.

Chomper took a scent of the air. "I think so. Something like the outside's in the air but it's very faint."

Cera sighed. "Still a long ways to go then."

"Me could fly ahead and check." Petrie said reluctantly. "But with sharpbeak around, that not safe." He sighed. "Flying so useful with walking sharpteeth but not with flying ones."

"You aren't the only one grounded." Ducky said, in an attempt at being reassuring. "Being a swimmer means you can escape from some sharpteeth in water but when they're swimmers too, it isn't much help, it isn't, it isn't."

"Once we get rid of those two, we can go back to screaming away from sharpteeth the old fashion way." Cera said. "The others will keep them occupied."

"Yeah, but for how long?" Petrie asked.

"As long as necessary. They have brains too, they can outthink those dummies. Now let's use our brains to dummy up this place for good."

The others fell silent, only somewhat reassured by Cera's words. Cera stared onward as she led them, attempting not to show how nervous she was. She hated when the group split up like this. There was often no method for knowing how the others were coping until they regrouped. Ichy and Dil didn't seem that bright but they sniffed out a potential way to get into the valley and almost sneaked up on them. To survive this long, the predators must have some cleverness. They were certainly dangerous. It would be horrible if Cera's team came back and discovered Littlefoot's team had been fatally outwitted by those scary predators. Losing loved ones while away was painful enough that first time; for that to happen a second time with those she considered as precious as family was…

*No, no, don't even think about that!* Cera subtly shook her head. *They'll make it. With Littlefoot and Ruby's brains, they're bound to survive and Spike's no slouch either. They'll do their job. We shouldn't let them down by not doing ours.*

Still, even if Littlefoot and the others manage to survive, she couldn't shake the dangers her own group might face. What if Dil and Ichy give the three the slip and go after them? The mental image of the bellydragger and sharpbeak emerging from the darkness, ready to menace Cera and the others before their grisly demise, made Cera's ribcage vibrate with fear. She would do her best to protect her friends, to get them away from danger, but a traitorous thought reminded her there was only so much she could do as an adolescent threehorn. Cera took quiet calming breaths but it was hard to dispel the image and grim thoughts.

Instead, Cera tried to focus on the victorious feeling that would come about when they blocked the major entrance for Dil and Ichy. It wouldn't be too difficult. There was bound to be a weak rock somewhere that could cause the mouth of the river entrance to crumble down. Cera was good at breaking rocks, especially ones that led to a chain reaction. It was that skill that played a major part in rescuing Bron from the lava after all. Cera simply needed to not lose her cool, remember there was always a way out of danger, and work hard to find that way. She would feel quite satisfied when the task was accomplished. Though it wouldn't spare them from Dil and Ichy's wrath when they found out…

"Cera, are you okay?"

Cera started, realizing that she had been walking tensely with a look of barely strangled down worry. Ducky had made to walk closer, blue eyes aimed at her with concern.

"I'm – I'm fine." Cera said, staring ahead. "I'm just thinking."

"Oh." Ducky paused, as though thinking through her next words. "Are there bad thoughts in that thinking? Because if there are, don't worry. I'm sure we will get through this."

"Yeah. Sure." Cera said distractedly.

"We will." Ducky insisted. "You can smash any rocks with your head and that will be useful in blocking the river or getting away from the sharpbeak and bellydragger. The rest of us will help too, as we always do."

"Okay. Thanks." Cera said, still staring ahead, mind elsewhere.

"I mean, we do this sort of dangerous stuff all the time." Ducky paused. "Well, only once or a few times a cold time, but we're good at it. We'll survive, we will, we will."

"I know." Cera said, with a trace of annoyance. "Got the message."

"So everything will be okay, you'll see. We just need to stick together and do our thing, and then-"

"Alright, we got it, enough already." Cera snapped. "You know, it's okay if some of us aren't happy once in a while. You don't need to march up to us every time because us not smiling brings down your mood. Just let us be, we can get better on our own."

Ducky reeled back, as if slapped. After several seconds, her eyes fluttered around and a guilty look entered her face.

"Oh, I didn't mean-" she sighed. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know what I did bothers everyone, I didn't, I didn't."

She looked so contrite that regret burned in Cera's stomach. Ducky was so cheerful and good-natured lashing out at her could feel like kicking an infant. She was hardier than she appeared, but Cera didn't feel right for snapping. Awkwardly, she shuffled a foot in the dirt.

"Well, maybe I should have told you some other way." Cera said. "I meant nothing serious from it."

Ducky smiled softly and padded Cera comfortingly at the implied apology before she looked down. "This is a stressful situation, and I don't know how we're going to solve this. I'm only…worried about how everyone else might get out of this."

"Like Spike?" Cera asked softly.

Ducky nodded. "Yeah, a little. He can be clumsy and distracted, even if he's no slouch as you said. But I'm also worried about my many brothers and sisters. We're all in danger from that bellydragger and sharpbeak. It'd be pretty sad if we can't swim and splash around again."

"That not going to happen." Petrie said, flying closer. "Sharpbeak mean me brothers and sisters can't fly around either, so that means we make sure to stop them. Don't worry, we'll do it. And I like how you make me smile."

"Me too." Chomper nodded. "You always look after us, and that makes me feel better. We wouldn't have you any other way."

They moved over and touched Ducky's shoulder in support, Ducky perking up and giving the pair a warm smile. Eventually, Chomper and Petrie moved away and the four continued walking, mood slightly uplifted. Cera was slightly encouraged by this. She might bicker and moan but she didn't like really hurting her friends as much as anyone else. In some ways, she was glad to have these three here. They had some useful skills. With Chomper's nose, Ducky's swimming skills, and Petrie's ability to whoosh anywhere, they were guaranteed to locate and seal off the river entrance before Dil and Ichy could go through.

Cera was distracted by those pleasant thoughts by the sound of actual but distant whooshing coming from behind them.

"Petrie, are you still with us?" Cera said slowly.

"Me right here." Petrie hovered lower near Cera's head in puzzlement. "Why you ask?"

Cera glanced at him, her ears on alert. "If you're here," she said slowly, heart trilling warily, "then what's making that sound?"

The others looked back, where the whooshing got closer and became distinctly, horribly familiar. Ducky's breaths quickened.

"Oh no, no, no. Littlefoot and the others should have kept them occupied."

There was an eerie laugh. "They're keeping Dil occupied. Have you forgotten who's the brains of this operation here?"

The whooshing had become feathery flapping. Cera and the others glanced up desperately to track Ichy down but there was no more glowing moss in this part of the tunnel and the ceiling was obscured by darkness.

"How did you find us?" Cera demanded, hoping anger limited how her voice wavered.

"Oh, through the method of eavesdropping." Ichy replied. "Voices carry in these tunnels and you lot do like to argue. It was child's play to get an inkling of your plan and work around it."

"Yes, well, so much for that." Cera said. "You're still smaller than me and Chomper. If it comes to a fair fight, we will win."

"I'm not interested in a fair fight. I have the darkness on my side. I could simply sneak up on you and snatch up your smaller friends before you know where they went. You also forget this sharpbeak has some experience in taking down larger prey. All I need to do is apply a bite in the right part of the neck and voila – the ground is died red and the swimmer and flyer no longer have protectors and I can eat enough to make my belly burst."

"I will make something burst." Chomper said angrily. "I have much bigger teeth than you – even if you get me, I'll have you in pieces!"

Ichy laughed. "Am I supposed to believe the cute sharptooth who pals around with leaf eaters has the will and skill to take me down? Softie. Not like the sharpteeth that really sent chills down my spine."

"Look, just go away." Petrie said nervously. "Look at river! It has lots of water swimmers. Just eat them and be on your way."

"They might make a satisfying snack for me but not for Dil." Ichy said. "Besides, this is about more than eating. This is about vengeance. You have robbed us of our home and dignity. We can't get our home back but at least we can regain our dignity and pride by picking our teeth with your bones!"

"We can swim!" Ducky said desperately. "Your bellydragger friend is not around, so we can escape you in the water!"

"And when you can't hold your breath any longer and go back to the surface for air, I can just grab you with my feet. It's kind of hard to swim and lookout for enemies above at the same time. Face it hatchlings, I can come at you any when, anywhere. Like close to where you breathe."

A whish went past Cera's throat. She yelped and staggered away.

"Around where you fly."

A blur circled Petrie's wings, making him scream and topple out of the air.

"Under where you keep balance."

A whoosh of air went under Chomper's tail and between his legs. Chomper shrieked and jumped as though dancing on hot coals.

"I can even be behind where you speak."

An arrow of wind whipped up Ducky's back and inches from her forehead. She screamed and flailed her hands to swat it away but Ichy was already gone, his laughter echoing off the walls.

"Yes, continue screaming. You are all cowards, idiots, wusses, brats. Luck might have saved you last time but now it's over. All you can do now is entertain me while I work up my appetite. Might as well get out the last of your yelling. You never know when any of these passes might be your last!"

Cera jerked away as a whoosh went past her side. She saw a whish kick up dirt beside Petrie's feet, a great wind nearly knock down Ducky, a blur dart around inches from Chomper's neck. Ichy swooped in and around them faster than any of them could see, making them scream and be uncertain where to step. Wherever they turned, he darted past mockingly and when they watched where they last saw him, they felt a presence swoop past the back of their heads. They just didn't know where to go and the constant near misses and mocking laughter was cracking their resolve.

"What we do?" Petrie said, panicked. "Oh, we can't – we can't stay here! We must move!"

"We stick together!" Cera said, with an attempt at authority. "Ducky, Petrie, stay close to us!"

"I don't want you guys to get hurt!" Ducky said.

"He's just winding us up!" Cera said, half convincing herself. "Don't listen to him!"

"I'll protect you…" Chomper panted. "I'll protect you guys!"

"Let keep moving this way." Petrie said. "If we do that, maybe we can break the-"

"Do you want to escort him into the valley?" Cera said angrily. "Let's try losing him for now. Stay close, and he won't be able to get close unless he wants to get gored by my-"

Something touched Cera's neck, light but cold, close to the jugular. It was only for a second but Cera, already scared and keyed up, saw her mortality and lost her head completely. She screamed, circling to get away and she inadvertently knocked Ducky off her feet. Chomper reached out for Ducky but a swoop caused him to shriek and stumble away. Petrie tried to take off into the air but a blur kicked him and he tumbled, latching onto Cera's tail. They scattered, making a beeline for any passageway entrance they could find, too panicked to know what they were doing or where they were going other than to get away.

Ducky found herself tripping and staggering down a tall passageway, pants echoing loudly. She looked about for signs – of where Ichy was, of her location, of her friends' whereabouts. So far, Ducky saw nothing and every second alone caused her panic to ratchet up to new heights.

"Where are you?" Ducky whispered. "Petrie, Cera, Chomper."

She sighed. She hated when she got separated from the others. Even if just one friend was with her, she would have been okay but stranded alone, she felt like a target was painted on her back. Ducky might have an advantage with finding escape routes and refuges with her small size but when a predator set its sights on her, even the smallest meat eater could still make a meal out of her. Not only did she not want to die, the loneliness only accentuated the terror of the danger. She only hoped she could find the others soon before she encountered any dangers that would give her a lonely end.

When she found a three way intersection in the passageway, she brightened and picked up her pace. Maybe there was a route to get her reunited with her friends there. She turned to the left passageway, the direction where she last saw the others. There was a call of recognition from the right passageway, from the last voice she wanted to hear.

"Aha, there you are!" Ichy said. "Just the swimmer I was looking for."

Ducky shrieked and pelted forward. She moved with all the energy in her but Ichy's awful flapping quickly caught up with her. No matter how fast she ran, he rarely strayed from above her. All the movement was draining. She didn't know how long she could keep this up but fear drove her onward. As exhaustion made her footing clumsy, she called desperately into the air.

"Petrie! Cera! Chomper! Help! Help!"

"You're not getting any help." Ichy said. "No last minute rescues for you. This time you're going to be eaten and nothing will stop me!"

"I don't want to be eaten, no, no, no! Someone, please, help me!"

"You were the last of our prey to evade us. I think it's kind of fitting you'll be my first meal. After all the insult you gave us, finally we'll have our dignity back. Just think, your family will forever wonder what happened to you. I wish I could watch. They'll never know you died alone, not doing some heroic sacrifice but trying to save your own hide. It's guaranteed to be delicious. Not that you'll ever know. You'll die anonymously, the object of ignorance and ignorant of how others react to you."

Ducky whimpered, tripping again and barely able to stay on her feet. "Spike…Spike! I need you!"

"You're weirdo brother isn't going to help you." Ichy jeered. "I don't understand why you would decide to be a sister to lazy creatures like spiketails, since you swimmers like to have so many children, but never mind. It's nearly lunchtime."

Ducky attempted to double her speed but she had little energy to double on. Her sore muscles made her stiff and clumsy and she got a stitch in her chest. She pressed against the problem area to stifle the pain but doing that distracted her and her foot caught on a jut. She fell with a smack. Groaning, she weakly pushed on the ground but could do no more than rise a few inches before collapsing back down. The flapping was loud and stationary.

"And so it ends." Ichy said. "It was nice knowing you, swimmer, but it's time to fill my stomach. Don't worry, I'll make this painless. It can be annoying when the food struggles down your throat."

There was a final flap and Ducky heard Ichy dive bomb for her. She curled up into a ball and closed her eyes, hoping that if she shut out the world, she wouldn't notice when she everything went black. The several seconds Ichy took to get closer stretched on for an eternity. Ducky thought about her friends, Spike, and the rest of her family, the many brothers and sisters she wished she got to know better but now never would…

Several seconds passed before she realized nothing had happened. She should have been struck down by now but all she had felt was a brief brush of cold across her back. The flapping was now ahead of her, Ichy making a noise of confusion.

"What? How did I – I'll get you!"

Once again, there was the sound of Ichy diving for Ducky. She cringed again, the sound closing in, right on top of her…and then zooming past her with another brush of cold. Ichy's voice was strangled.

"I can't be missing – why? Again!"

For a third time, Ichy attempted to snatch Ducky and once more, Ducky heard him miss, that mysterious cold coming across her back again. Ichy was beside himself.

"Oh, not now. Not now! This is the worst time for me to lose my touch!"

Ichy swooped down for a fourth, fifth, and sixth time. Each time, she felt no pain, no contact, only the cool disturbance of air as Ichy kept somehow missing his target. Ducky opened her eyes and uncurled herself as she came to realize something was going very wrong for her would-be killer.

"What am I doing wrong?" Ichy groused. "I've done this dozens of times before! She's not even moving, I should have gutted her. At the very least I should have scratched her! What's going on?"

While he raged, Ducky tentatively got to her feet. She still couldn't see Ichy in the darkness, but he didn't appear to be paying attention to her. When his ranting about his feet reached another octave, Ducky took the opportunity to jog quickly up the passageway. She was still exhausted but the confusion had reinvigorated her with hope, which rose as Ichy's voice didn't follow her. Eventually, she stopped hearing him altogether and continued her journey.

The passageway was curving back to the tunnel by the time Ducky heard voices again, much more welcome than Ichy's. She picked up her pace and found Cera, Petrie, and Chomper standing anxiously at a passageway intersection.

"What happened to her?" Cera was saying. "Oh, how can I face the others if Ducky was taken by that sharpbeak?"

"You don't need to worry about that, because the sharpbeak couldn't take me." Ducky said, stepping into view.

The three jumped. After a second or two of staring, they rushed to her with relief.

"Ducky, you alright!" Petrie beamed, briefly embracing her. "We so worried."

"When you were gone too long, we thought…" Chomper trailed off. "Wait, 'sharpbeak couldn't take me?' You ran into him?"

"How did you escape?" Cera asked.

"I don't know." Ducky answered, brushing her chin in puzzlement. "I really thought I was a goner, but for some reason, I only felt cold wind as he kept missing me. That was confusing, since he caught me with his feet just fine in the Last of Mists. But I'm glad that confusing thing happened, I am."

"You're far from the only one." Cera said, relieved. "Sorry I tripped you up like that. I tried not to listen but he seemed to know how to get into our heads and twist our brains and-"

"Hey do you smell that?" Chomper interrupted, frowning.

"You have best sniffer, so we probably don't." Petrie replied.

"But sometimes you can pick up what I smell too." Chomper sniffed experimentally. "It's kind of muffled by the water but I smell something like…flowers and grass and treestars. Those aren't in caves, are they?"

Cera blinked, and her expression dawned. "Of course not. But if you're smelling them, that means we must be near-"

"The river entrance!"

Hearts soaring, they followed Chomper through the passageways until they got back to the tunnel, where they walked a short distance. At last, they were back on track and they were going to fulfill the mission Littlefoot gave them. There was nothing that was going to stop them now.

Then they came across a thick, sturdy wall. The surface was rough and uneven, as though some rocks and boulders had been melted into the dark rock. Ducky and the others stopped before it in consternation, glancing at where the river lapped tepidly at the stone.

"What is this?" Cera said. "Did we take a wrong turn?"

"No." Chomper said. "I'm sure we went the right way."

"But river end here." Petrie said. "That strange."

"It is, it is." Ducky agreed. "If water keeps flowing here, this should be flooded. Let me see what's going on."

Ducky moved to the edge and dived, briefly acclimating before she swam forward. A few fish moved past her and she blinked as they didn't slow but lowered to the river floor, approached the wall, and wriggled right under it. Following their example, she descended until her stomach brushed sand and rock. From her low vantage point, she was able to see a shimmer of light shining below the entire wall, low but distinct. She surfaced near the others.

"There's an opening near the bottom here." Ducky said. "The water swimmers swam through it and I can see some light."

"Of course." Chomper said. "I thought the plant smell was kind of wet."

"You mean to tell me we came all this way only to learn the bellydragger and sharpbeak can't come through here anyway?" Cera said, outraged. "What a rip-off!"

"On bright side," Petrie said, "bellydragger and sharpbeak can't come through here. They just don't know."

"Maybe if they did know, that might discourage them from trying to take the valley." Chomper said.

"Who says they won't use these tunnels or another river to get into the valley?" Cera retorted. "We might still have to cause cave-ins, but we don't know where. Oh, it'll take forever to get rid of them."

"Maybe Littlefoot and the others might have some idea about that." Ducky suggested. "There must be a way to get rid of them, there must."

"Not to mention that it would be a long walk for the bellydragger if she decided to enter from another river." Chomper pointed out. "And not all the tunnels can fit her. If we can confuse the two enough, maybe we can get them lost."

"If we don't get lost first." Petrie said.

"Let's find Littlefoot and the others before we think about getting lost." Cera said. "Chomper, use that sniffer. We need to get to them before the bellydragger gets them."

* * *

Littlefoot's lungs were searing. He, Ruby, and Spike had been all over the passageway network for an hour, leading Dil on a wild goose chase. They wedged her in tight passageways, trapped her in caves, and even collapsed rocks to pin her underwater. Each time, she used her strength to break or crack the stones enough to free herself and the chase was on again. Still, it bought the trio time to brainstorm solutions for their friends' predicament and they used every second available to them.

Not that it led anywhere.

"We can't split up." Ruby said. "One of us will have to be alone, so splitting up is dangerous."

"Cera and the others are in danger right now." Littlefoot said heatedly. "We have to do something!"

"As I said before, if we go rescue our friends, the bellydragger will go with us and rescue her friend too." Ruby replied evenly. "Even if we trap her somewhere good and leave, she might eventually free herself and go up the river to trap us or our friends. Face it, there is little we can do with the plan we have. We're going to have to trust they'll know what to do. We know that trust hasn't been broken in the past, right? Let's focus on keeping the bellydragger unfocused until they get back."

Littlefoot glared, but Ruby stood her ground. Spike looked between them, baying in confusion. Apparently, he could see Ruby's point but wanted to make sure his sister and the others were unharmed too. After a moment, suppressing a flinch from another tail twinge, Littlefoot breathed out slowly.

"I know you're right," he murmured, "but I hate just not knowing what's going on with them."

Ruby laid a hand on Littlefoot's shoulder, eyes distancing. "Yeah, I hate that kind of not knowing too."

There was a groan. The trio looked down at the pit to find Dil shaking off broken rocks, dazed and tired. A few minutes earlier, the trio had almost stumbled into the shallow pit in this cave while fleeing from the bellydragger and quickly drafted up a plan. Ruby lured her in, her slender limbs and sharp fingers allowing her to climb back out while Dil slid and toppled into the pit. After seeing how her descent shook several stalactites from the ceiling, Littlefoot, Ruby, and Spike lobbed rocks until they all came crashing down, burying Dil in the remains of the stone teeth. That had knocked Dil out for a few minutes, allowing the trio time to try hashing out a plan. Now Dil examined them mutinously.

"You three are really going to pay for that," she growled. "I was thinking of drawing out your suffering but since you made me so tired and hungry, I'll eat you so fast you wouldn't know what happened."

"That's if you can climb up first." Littlefoot retorted.

Seething, Dil muttered in what she thought was an inaudible timber. "Ichy, I hope leaving me to flail in the dark was worth it."

Littlefoot ignored her. "Spike, can you guide us back to the river."

Spike sniffed and nodded agreeably. Littlefoot was really glad to have drafted Spike to the team. If it wasn't for his nose, they would have gotten lost in all these passageways a long time ago. Ruby glanced back nervously.

"Not to hurry you up," she said, "but the bellydragger found a way to hurry out of the pit, so we'd better get ready to hurry off again."

Littlefoot and Spike followed her gaze, noting Dil found purchase on several protrusions on the curvature of the pit and was already halfway up. When she got back to solid footing on a passageway on the other side, the trio ran, the slap-dash of her footsteps a constant encouragement to keep going. Through a twist of passageways, they ended up back in the tunnel, quickly looking around to regain their bearings.

"Where now?" Ruby said.

"I don't know." Littlefoot replied. "I'm running out of ideas. How many ways can you bury a bellydragger before it actually has an effect?"

"We'll come up with something on the run, like always. And speaking of running, I think we should come up with another tunnel before she comes back to the water."

Glancing about, Littlefoot saw no passageway entrances in the immediate vicinity, so he picked a direction and led them in a jog. He just so happened to pick the direction where Cera and the others had last been seen but he didn't expect to bump into the four while on the run. They were either busy sealing up the entrance up ahead or evading Ichy. Littlefoot hoped for the former but feared the latter, so he was quite surprised when he saw shapes running toward them in the distance, calling his name.

"Over here, Littlefoot!"

"Littlefoot, we're back!"

"It's the others!" Littlefoot said.

"One, two, three, four." Ruby smiled. "Four out of four, all safe."

Spike keyed joyfully and bounded forward. Littlefoot and Ruby didn't hesitate to follow. The seven reunited, Spike almost pinning his sister to the ground as he nuzzled and licked her, their laughter food for the soul.

"Thank goodness you're all alright." Littlefoot said. "I thought the sharpbeak might have got you."

"He did almost get us." Ducky said. "But for some reason, he couldn't."

"He what?" Ruby shook her head. "You can tell us about that later. Can you tell us if you were able to seal up the tunnel?"

"We didn't need to." Chomper said. "There already was a wall there."

"It pretty thick." Petrie said. "Ducky said only itty bity space for water swimmers to swim through."

Littlefoot was stunned. "Are you serious? Those two really can't go through there?"

"Not unless they shrank." Cera huffed. "Seriously, all that hassle to find that out. What a waste."

"Maybe it's not so wastey after all." Ducky said slowly. "The sharpbeak did boast a lot while he was scaring us and we all know he and the bellydragger like to fight a lot. Why don't we make them fight?"

"That is a good plan." Ruby beamed. "From what we heard while running, the bellydragger doesn't always like the suggestions and plans the sharpbeak gives her."

"We just need to tell them the truth." Littlefoot said. "At least enough of the truth they would be at each other's throats. The trouble is how do we get them to listen to us?"

There was a snarl and the swirl of disturbed water. Dil had caught up at last, having followed the voices to track them down. She leered in their approximate direction.

"Give it up, kids." Dil said. "You're weak and divided."

"Does it sound like we're divided?" Cera said.

Dil stopped, stunned. "You four are back? Ichy should have taken care of you lot!"

"Shows what he know." Petrie said. "He couldn't even get Ducky."

"He isn't as smart as he thinks he is, oh no, no, no." Ducky wagged a finger. "You can't enter the Great Valley here. We found a great big thick wall that we couldn't get through. There is only enough space for water and small water swimmers to get into the valley, which means you can't get through."

"What are you talking about?" Dil demanded. "Are you screwing with my head?"

"We're telling the truth here." Chomper said. "I smelled the other side of that wall and the Great Valley is out there. Your Ichy didn't think to check first to make sure this route wasn't blocked off."

Dil's anger drained into confusion and even distress. Her eyes darted about as she mentally digested this.

"No way, this can't be true," she muttered. "Ichy sounded so sure about his strategy. You've got to be pulling my leg."

"If anyone's doing the leg pulling, it's your sharpbeak friend." Littlefoot said. "Don't tell me he hasn't led you astray before. He couldn't get us in the Land of Mists and he couldn't get us now, so his plans aren't foolproof."

"His plans aren't foolproof." Dil repeated, lip curling. "Yes, I know. Why, if he really did mess up… if he can't keep track of you brats-"

"Dil! Dil! There you are!"

There was a series of flaps and Ichy's breathless voice became apparent.

"Have you managed to eat those brats? Mine somehow slipped off and it would do me good if you somehow gave a blow to their…there they are!" he exclaimed disbelievingly. "Yours managed to give you the slip too? Come on Dil, it shouldn't have been that hard to get them! They're smaller than you, swallowing them should've been a snap!"

"Easy for you to say!" Dil snarled. "They've been burying me in rocks left, right, and center ever since we started this chasing game. Did you forget I was blind or something when you went dallying off to play with those children?"

There was a slight gasp, as though Ichy hadn't expected Dil to lash out quite like that. He replied frostily. "Well, I didn't exactly hear any disagreement from you. Besides, grumping at me isn't going to fill your stomach. What are you just floating there for? Attack them!"

"Have you actually checked that river exit thing?"

"What, river exit – we're trying to eat these kids!"

"But what about eating other members of this stinking valley? Because I was just told we can't get in through this tunnel!"

Ichy's next pause held a bit of surprise. "We can't?" Then, angrily, "They lie! They just want to make sure we can't get out!"

"They seem pretty ticked they ran all that way to seal it up only to find it was block up anyway." Dil retorted. "Have you actually checked to make sure there wasn't a wall there or the kids caused a rockslide to stem us?"

"Well, um…" Littlefoot and the others could practically hear Ichy glance away. "I was busy making sure the kids didn't actually get to the entrance by following them around. When they came back here, I thought we could team up to make sure they didn't separate again and…"

Dil's eyes narrowed. "Liar! You lost them and didn't even think to check. You're just covering your tail feathers! I should have known you'd screw this up!"

"I'd screw this up?" Ichy repeated incredulously. "You were the one who couldn't even eat a slow spiketail!"

"And you couldn't even catch a whimpering swimmer!"

"It was dark, I couldn't – wait, how do you know that?" Ichy then growled. "You mouthy tattle-tale!"

Ducky clasped her hands innocently. "You did try to catch me, like, six times. I thought it might be worth bringing up, I did, I did!"

"So it is true!" Dil hissed. "Your harebrained schemes have lost us food again!"

"Me! You couldn't even catch those kids and there's not a lot of ways to get lost in those tunnels!"

"You think? This place is a maze! If you hadn't left me alone, I might have caught some of them!"

"You would have caught them if you paused and used that thing you call a brain!" Ichy snapped. "Then you wouldn't be always falling into their traps every time like you say…"

The pair proceeded to argue, tones growing louder and bouncing off the walls. They totally forgot about Littlefoot and the others. If they noticed the seven at all, it was as a springboard to air out more grievances against the other. Littlefoot and the others just watched, bemused.

"There's not much love lost between the two." Ruby muttered to Ducky.

"Yeah, they did a lot of arguing in the Land of Mists too." Ducky whispered.

"Now what do we do, Littlefoot?" Cera said.

"I don't think there's time to check every tunnel and make sure they don't lead to the valley." Littlefoot said. "But if we egg them on, maybe they'll leave and not want to have anything to do with each other again."

"But what about sharpbeak?" Petrie asked. "Bellydragger mightn't come back but sharpbeak can fly. He can eat some of us small hatchlings like me and Ducky."

Littlefoot winced. That was indeed a quandary. He looked back up to where Ichy's voice emanated, mentally running through all the plans in his mind, even the ones that trembled his stomach. He had to make some hard choices in the past, but will he have do them again?

"It's going to take forever to find another path!" Dil was ranting. "Do I look like the type that can walk long distances? A sharpteeth might make me its snack before we get to another river!"

"There must be another way to get in through these tunnels." Ichy said. "We just need to learn them!"

"And by then, we'll get lost and starve. These little water swimmers aren't going to fill me up any good, Ichy! I should have known this plan of yours was dodgy."

"Dodgy? I'll tell you what's dodgy? That I hang around with a blind musclehead who can't strategize her way out of a tangle of seaweed! I should have contented myself with the fuzzy tree dwellers and runaway hatchlings! Ever since I met you, you've been nothing but a liability!"

"Right back at you!" Dil said. "Every time you tell me what to do, you give me a headache. And it isn't even helpful! You said that learning leaf eater will be easy, that it'd give us the advantage, but instead it allowed the prey to know everything we're doing. We'd have been better off not understanding them at all. Other predators get by just fine! All of your plans go up in flames this way, and you never own up to your mistakes. Honestly, I'd be better off just sitting in a bog on my own and waiting for idiot water swimmers to swim into my mouth. It'd mightn't be a complex plan but unlike your plans, at least it'll get the job done."

Ichy's teeth ground together. "Don't pin all the blame on me! I'm sick of you having to rely on me for every obstacle you bump against when you could use your brain instead. Why should I bother giving better directions, you suck at following them and lose your temper as though that's my fault. Dammit woman, if you ever thought of using that cranium of yours, I wouldn't have ended up getting swallowed hole by you in the first place!"

His voice echoed out among the tunnel. A quiet followed like a sudden, cold draft.

"…what are you talking about, Ichy?" Dil's voice held a different catch. Oddly, she winced as though a rock thudded her cranium. "Ow, now I really have a headache. C'mon Ichy, stop giving me the silent treatment."

"I…I don't know." Ichy said uncertainly. "Those words…they just, they suddenly fell out of my mouth…"

"Now what are they complaining about?" Cera said. "I'm confused."

"They seemed just as confused as we are." Ducky said. "Oh yes, oh yes."

"I still haven't been able to see or smell this sharpbeak." Chomper said, taking another vain draft of the air. "If he's been flying around all over the place, he should be sweating enough for my sniffer to pick him up."

"Me think me see him." Petrie said, trembling.

"Where Petrie?" Littlefood scanned the high ceiling. "I can't see anything."

"He over there, halfway above her head but…me must be seeing things."

Puzzled, Littlefoot and the others focused above Dil's head, raising their gaze further and further until…they almost missed the flicker of a shape hovering there. He was easy to miss, like a whisp of smoke held in place, the caves so dark he was almost invisible. The five who went to the Land of Mists remembered well how Ichy blended into the fog and darkness, wings silent until he was almost upon their smaller brethren. But this form of stealth was different, impossible…

"Guys." Ruby said. "Sharpbeaks can't be see-through, can they?"

Ichy started and glanced down at himself. Behind the flyer's black, grey, and white plumage was the tunnel wall, blurred like in a weak fog. Ichy's breath clambered up a few notches even as he took in no air, his chest hitching in spreading fear.

"This can't be possible," he said. "Why can I see through myself? Dil, explain yourself. Dil, say something!"

"Why are you blaming me for your delusions?" Dil said, confused and slightly panicked. "The lack of food is messing with your head. Just eat one of the kids and everything will clear up."

"I'm not delusional! I'm transparent and even those brats can see it. Look!"

Ichy darted down and landed on Dil's snout, close to her eyes. His feet sunk down as though in mud and he gave a panicked flap to get them back on firm reptilian skin. Dil's nose twitched in consternation.

"Hey Ichy, your feet are cold. Don't I tell you not to stay on for long? I can see you fine now, you look great and healthy…and I can see right through you to my nose."

Dil shrieked and slushed water as she backed away. Ichy remained where he was, feet standing on thin air. He didn't need to flap his wings to stay in place. That only further horrified him.

"I don't understand!" he said. "I'm so confused. Did I – was I…no, no!"

"Does anyone have an explanation for what's going on?" Cera demanded.

"Maybe…maybe she did eat him." Petrie gulped. "He said that because it true but he didn't want to think about it until he too angry to ignore it."

"So he's a ghost who didn't know he's a ghost." Ruby said softly.

"I'm a ghost?" Ichy squeaked. "If I'm a ghost, then I'm…that can't be true, it can't be!"

"And that means I – " Dil's voice became strangled. "No, no. I spat him out, I spat him out! I almost ate him, but I realized my mistake before it was too late and threw him up. That's the only thing that makes sense. I should remember this. But why – why can't I remember spitting him out."

"Maybe you're right and we're both delusional." Ichy said eagerly. "Yeah, hunger is messing with our brains, it's making us see things. There's no such thing as ghosts. You damn kids are just screwing with our heads. All we need to do is just gobble you up and this will all go away."

"But if you haven't eaten, how were you able to chase us all over the place?" Ducky said. "Doing that is very draining. You should have dropped, you should have, you should have."

"Shut up!" Ichy snapped. "I'm just running on fumes, that's all! All that workout should be making me famished. Any second now, I'll be so hungry I can eat all of you without feeling full. That's right, it all makes sense. I just need to wait and everything'll be back to normal. You'll see! You'll be the ones who die!"

"And then you'll be solid again?" Littlefoot shook his head, almost sad. "I'm sorry. You really are see-through and standing on thin air. You're…dead."

That gave Ichy no comfort. He rubbed at his neck and chest feathers, looking around desperately, searching for a way out. His breathing became more and more panicked until he let out a wrenching scream.

"I don't want this, I don't want this!" he shouted. "I don't want to die! I had so many plans, I had so much to do! It can't end like this, all because of a stupid mistake, all because of –"

Ichy's eyes landed on Dil. Fury shook through him, and he jabbed an accusing finger toward her.

"This is all your fault!" he said, causing her to jump. "I should have left you to bumble around in that forest. But no, I had the bright idea you might be useful, that we could benefit each other. I can be the eyes and you could be the teeth. What an idiot I was! You never had good impulse control, I should have saw it coming!"

"I-it was an accident, Ichy." Dil stuttered, sloshing away from him. Her face broke out in self-directed horror. "Oh goodness, this is actually happening. That means I really did –" She then shouted at him, at herself. "I didn't know it was you, I didn't know it was you! I'm telling the truth!"

"Oh really?" Ichy flapped closer, teeth barred. "Did the feathers not feel familiar, did the shape not remind you of a certain someone? How many times did I have to tell you to look before you leap, look and then leap! You didn't stop to think about what you swallowed, did you? You were just satisfied you got a full stomach for once."

"I didn't want to fill my stomach with you!" Dil said desperately. "No matter how much you drove me up the wall, I never wanted to eat you."

"Fat lot of good that does me!" he snapped. "You at least got your fill. I'll never be able to eat again! I'm dead, and I hold you responsible! And you know what, bellydragger…I'm out of here!"

Ichy turned and flew away, back where he and Dil came from. Dil swam after him, so stricken.

"Ichy, wait! Please, let's just talk this out! I didn't want any of this to happen. I'm sorry!"

"Stop, stop!" Ichy whirled around. "I can't stand to be with you. After killing me, I shouldn't care about you anymore but when you speak to me and look at me like that…" his voice broke. "I'm dead, so why do you make my chest hurt?"

With that, Ichy opened his wings and flew off as though fleeing a truth he couldn't stand. Scrambling, a devastated Dil went after him.

"Ichy, come back! I'm sure we can work this out! Ichy… _Ichy_!"

Soon, she too was gone. Littlefoot and the others stood there, stunned, having difficulty comprehending what they just witnessed.

"Ch-Chomper." Littlefoot found his voice. "Can you sniff our way back to the entrance?"

Chomper nodded faintly. "Yes, yeah…I can do that."

Numb, they began the long walk out. They were alive and had drove off the latest threat to the valley but there was no feeling of victory in what they did.

Their spirits only lifted slightly when they came across more and more of the glowing moss. They soon encountered the opening that curved up and led to the surface world. The gang would have immediately ran up to get out of this tunnel, but Littlefoot stopped them and began looking for loose rocks and long vines.

"But they aren't coming back!" Cera protested.

"Even if they don't, what if someone else does?" Littlefoot said. "We need to seal off this cave. For the good of the valley."

Cera blew out a breath, but she and the others did as Littlefoot said. They also searched the river tunnel exit until they found a vine. They waited until they moved into the exit passage before they started pulling the vine, pawing and toppling loose rocks around the plant. It was slow work but there was a collapse and the dust cleared to reveal a pile of stones with nary a gap to glimpse the river or glowing moss. They traveled up the passage, Littlefoot looking around anxiously. He wasn't content with one collapse. At about the halfway point, they found another vine and collapsed the passage there. It was as slow as last time and the rocks that burst down from the ceiling nearly led to more than one bruise but Littlefoot was willing to take the risks so he wouldn't have to see what he just witnessed again…so no one in the valley would go through the agony and heartbreak of what those two predators experienced…

With a bit of pushing, there was a rumble and they backed away as the entrance to that whole nightmare was collapsed for good. They panted and fell onto the grass, reveling at the feeling of the warmth of the earth, the gentle glimmer of sunlight, of being on the surface at long last.

"What was that?" Cera said.

"I never saw anything like that before." Littlefoot looked at the others. "You're all here. Thank goodness. If anything happened to you…"

The others turned their heads to him, startled by Littlefoot's statement, their faces for a moment communicating confusion and concern over his heightened protectiveness of the last several hours. But they put that aside for now and gave exhausted, reassuring smiles that filled him with such warmth he returned the expression. Even his tail tip getting another faint thrum of pain didn't bother him much. Before they could bask in the moment, there was a distracted snort.

"Ugh, what was all that racket? Did you kids cause it?"

Littlefoot and the others scrambled to their feet. The sleeping spiketail had awakened, glaring through half-lidded eyes.

"Uh, we bumped into some rocks and they fell." Littlefoot said sheepishly. "Sorry for disturbing you. We'll be on our way."

With that, they nodded in farewell and hastily marched off, retreating from the spiketail and the memories of the supernatural life and death peril they had just experienced.

* * *

Dil was finding breathing hard. Even in the water, she barely kept up with Ichy. When light came into her vision, she knew she finally escaped the confines of those caves, but that brought her no comfort. She couldn't escape what had been discovered there, the guilt and horror of what she did. She had thought more than once jokingly or with annoyance that she should just eat him just to shut him up but for that to actually happen…chest hurting from more than exertion, she called out again.

"Ichy, are you still there? Come on, I can't keep up this chase if I don't know where you are."

"That's kind of the point." Ichy's voice said. "For someone said they were better off sitting in a bog on their own, you stick around like a leech."

"I did think I'd better off in a bog without you but if you really go, what am I going to do?" Dil said. "We've been together for so long. I'm really sorry. Just stick around so we can do things as we always do them – I don't care that you're dead!"

"Don't say that." Ichy said, panicked. "I've been reminded too many times of what I am already, if this happens one more time, I'll start to – to…"

The sound of the flapping slowed and Dil caught up enough to see the faint figure of Ichy hover quietly.

"Too late." Then he murmured. "So this is what our meals felt. I never thought about it, but…"

"What are you on about?" Dil asked nervously.

"I hate being sappy." Ichy said. "You were the last person I ever expected to be here for this, Dil. You always pissed me off but now…you're the only one who will give a damn in the end."

"Don't say that." Dil got closer. "Alright, I admit, it's my fault. I own up to it, I should use my brain more often. Just…bring out your stubbornness, and do something."

"I'm dead, Dil. No one can out-stubborn that. I just haven't left yet. And I'm not mad about what you did. Not anymore. You were only obeying your hunger. If our sizes were reversed, I might have done the same thing. If I survived being eaten, I might have considered it a sign our partnership was doomed from the start and cut off ties with you. Except now…" Ichy laughed. "It's funny. I thought I'd be glad of any way to be rid of you but the thought of going on without you…it burns. Now I know what 'can't live with them, can't live without them' really means."

"I know now too." Dil said, voice catching. "What would life be without your annoying squawk?"

"Oh, you'll find some other voice to nag you. You got by without me before, and you'll do the same again. At least we both know now that this alliance of ours actually had some meaning."

Ichy was hovering away, becoming faint. Dil splashed hastily to follow.

"No. Wait. Don't go!"

"It's already started. Goodbye, Dil. My mind might have sucked at coming up with plans but at least it is good enough to remember all the times we had together."

He was getting farther, fainter. Dil tried to keep up, swam with all her might but soon all her limited vision could see was blurry blue sky. Her eyes became blurrier, and she blinked hard.

"Ichy, come back. I take back every bad thing I said. Alright, I don't, but I don't care about that anymore, just be here with me. I don't want to be alone. Are you still there, Ichy? Ichy?"

All that greeted her was a vacant wind that carried no trace of flapping feathers.

 **Next time…**

 **Forgotten Lessons**


	3. Forgotten Lessons

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **The Analyzer**

 **Chapter 03: Forgotten Lessons**

Chomper tried to stand tall. He and his friends were in a cave, being menaced by a bellydragger the size of a sharptooth. He didn't know how or why they got there, he only knew he had to protect his friends. Despite his fear, he gave a mighty roar and charged in, only for the bellydragger to smack him into a wall. Dazed, Chomper could only watch in horror as the monstrous bellydragger bore down on Littlefoot and the others with its mighty jaws…

He shot up from his sleeping spot, eyes wide, breathing hard. Ruby walked from where she slept, rubbing her eyes.

"Bad sleep story?" she said gently.

Chomper nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "Sorry I woke you."

"Hey, you didn't wake me." Ruby put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I had some bad sleep stories too. Let's eat together so we can banish those bad sleep stories together."

He smiled thankfully at her. Even if he wasn't having a good morning, at least he had some company.

Chomper and Ruby had breakfast while they walked to meet with Littlefoot and the others. The bright circle was in its early morning shine, bringing out the best of the grub. While Ruby occasionally paused to pluck berries and sweet bubbles, Chomper nosed around for bugs. He snapped up a couple of crawlies, chomped on buzzers before they could ascend too high, and even slurped up a few worms hidden beneath the dirt. The effort required much of his concentration, and was almost fun. He didn't have much brain space to think about yesterday's scary adventure. By the time his stomach felt full, Chomper patted it proudly.

"Ah, that was good. Are you full, Ruby?"

"I sure am." Ruby eyed some of the remaining sweet bubbles speculatively, also in higher sprits. "I sure want to save some of these for lunch, though. They would go well with snapping shells."

Chomper chuckled. "I wish I can save for lunch too, but my food likes to crawl off."

"Then we have something sticky that might be helpful for you!"

The pair looked up but several small purple fruits were already sailing toward them, splatting upon their faces. The fruits left behind gooey globs connecting their heads to their arms and shoulders, like thick, colorful versions of spider threads. Chomper and Ruby uttered cries of dismay.

"Hyp, what do you think you're doing?" Chomper said indignantly.

Hyp, along with his cronies Nod and Mutt, emerged from a set of bushes a bit far off, guffawing.

"Just demonstrating how to use those Tree Sweets." Hyp said. "You don't need to look so indignant. You can wrestle out of that goop, can't you?"

Chomper glared, and wrenched his arms out. That stretched the goop into thin poles but they didn't break. Some of the fruity remains had got into his mouth and he spat hard, almost gagging from a taste not fit for carnivores.

"Come on, Chomper." Ruby said. "Let's find somewhere to wash up."

Hyp snickered. "Oh, need your nanny to save you? Wimp."

"Yeah, wimp." Nod laughed. "He's not so tough."

"Who knew there were sharpteeth who could be such little weenies?" Mutt chuckled.

Chomper gave a wounded look. "How can you say that, Mutt? I thought we were friends."

"Friends?" Mutt repeated. He blinked with confusion. "Uh, when did that happen?"

Ruby smoothly stepped in front of Chomper.

"What are you three trying to accomplish?" she said calmly.

"He's going to become big and try to eat us someday." Hyp shrugged innocently. "We must teach him to know his place while we can."

"Hyp, if he's going to become as dangerous as you claim, why do you want to give him an excuse to go after you first when he does become big?"

Hyp and his friends' amused, cocky expressions faltered. There was a long pause in which they appeared unsure and wary of the wisdom of their actions. Then Nod scowled.

"Don't think you're smarter than us just because you're from the Mysterious Beyond," he said.

Ruby blinked, thrown. "Huh?"

"Yeah," Hyp said, "just because you have some special knowledge from there doesn't mean you're right all the time. Your plans must be imperfect if you still don't know how to deal with that Redclaw yet."

Ruby winced. "That – that's not the point. The point is…" But words escaped her as she remembered the close calls of her plan against Dil when Littlefoot's tail got bitten and the slow underbelly of guilt that she spent many cold times within the Great Valley's safe walls without finding the secret in this community to taking down Redclaw.

Hyp and his friends' ugly laughter filled the air.

"See?" Hyp smirked. "You're knowledge isn't so special after all, so stop trying to act better than us."

"Oh, she doesn't need any special knowledge to be better than you."

To Chomper and Ruby's relief, Cera led the rest of the gang through a set of bushes to stand in front of the pair, glaring at Hyp and his posse. The five had apparently grown bored of waiting and went to see what kept up their friends.

"Move along, Hyp." Cera said. "Isn't there a rock you should be having a quiz with? Guess not, since the rock would win."

"Watch it, hatchling." Hyp growled. "You're not starting on the right foot with us."

"You rarely on right foot to begin with." Petrie said, crossing his arms from his perch on Cera. "You bullies."

"And we should take you seriously because you're so well spoken." Hyp said sarcastically.

"It's not about speaking, it's about not being mean." Ducky said. "And right now, you're being very mean to Ruby and Chomper, you are."

"We don't even meet you guys much, Hyp." Littlefoot asked. "Why are you so fixed on bothering us?"

Hyp rolled his eyes. "Geez, do we have to go through this again? We're bigger, we're smarter, so we have the right to order others around and show them their place. Duh. Isn't that the natural thing to do?"

"It sounds pointless to me." Cera said. "Why don't you go back to kicking around big rocks and other weird games? When you're doing that, at least you're stupidly likable."

Hyp bared his fists. "You're really asking for a pounding now, threehorn. Are you ready for it?"

"I'm ready if you're ready for a jab from my horn." Cera scraped a foot in the grass. "Do you want to risk the scars? I've broken many boulders with my horn, so you won't come out unscathed."

Hyp rolled his eyes. "Stop bragging. I doubt someone like you can slice me up. Geez, with how much you threehorns bang on about hating sharpteeth, you do like to brag about doing stuff those meat eaters usually do."

Nod and Mutt laughed, but a few members of the gang couldn't stop themselves from making a few amused breaths and squeaks. Littlefoot felt guilty that he had to resist the temptation to smile, but he couldn't deny that Hyp's observation wasn't that far off the mark. Glaring at her friends, Cera lowered her head and gave the grass another scrape.

"Well, one thing we threehorns can brag about that we have ourselves is that we have hardy heads," she said. "I can hit that small noggin of yours pretty hard. Do you want to risk the headache?"

"Oh, I'll give you a headache." Hyp said, incensed by the 'small' remark. He swung an arm demonstratively. "With a good right hook!"

"You think you can do that much damage?"

"Yeah, you'll not be able to think for days!"

"Bring it on, I can't wait to hear you whimper and cry after I fill your hand with-"

"What is all this racket?"

The children squealed and ducked as several rocks were thrown at them, narrowly missing their heads and arms. A few nicked Hyp's cheek and arms, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Hey, are you okay Hyp?" Nod asked.

"Don't baby me." Hyp said impatiently. "This is far from the worst scratches I – hey!"

A few more rocks came flying in, forcing them to dodge again. An elderly flyer was perched on a tall rock formation not that far off, still holding a handful of stones and glaring angrily with all the years he wore.

"You kids have no respect for the rest your elders need!" The elderly flyer shouted. "For Wing Father's sake, when it's morning, you keep your voices down. If you can't even do that simple courtesy, you'll face our wrath!"

"Pop it, old man!" Hyp snapped. "What flyer uses the phrase 'Wing Father' anyway? Why should anyone respect such a weirdo?"

"Oh, giving me lip will have consequences, boy!" The elderly flyer said. "I hear you're scared of flying rocks. Well, here come some more of them!"

The elderly flyer lobbed several more stones at the youths, unconcerned about whether they hit Hyp or not. The children yelped and cried out in dismay as they dodged. Hyp tripped and fell flat on his face while scrambling away. Mutt grabbed his hand to attempt to pull him up but Hyp wrenched his arm out with annoyance.

"Hey, I can get myself up," he said.

Hyp indeed got himself back on his feet but in the rain of stones, it was hard to stay balanced and uninjured for long. Eventually, they scattered from the area to get out of the line of fire. Hyp lingered long enough to point angrily at elderly flyer.

"Ah, who cares about a crazy coot anyway? Let's get out of here, gang!"

Littlefoot and the others eventually regrouped nearby a small pond, panting and sweaty. Littlefoot's tail tip twitched. Since yesterday, a bit of visible bruising had come in from its encounter with Dil's jaws. He now examined the tail tip with concern that it got additional damage from the elderly flyer's onslaught. But he shrugged with relief as he saw no new cuts or bruises. In the chaos, Chomper had almost forgotten how messy he was, but now he looked over himself and grimaced. In addition to the goopy strands being more spread around after running, some pebbles and small rocks have attached themselves to him.

"How am I going to get this stuff off me now?" Chomper muttered.

"We have some water to help wash it off, Chomper." Ruby said. "Here, let me help."

Ruby reached out, but Chomper stepped away to dab himself with water.

"I can do some of it myself," he muttered.

"I didn't say you couldn't." Ruby replied, wilting a bit. She sighed. "I know my suggestions aren't always good but we are both goopy, so I was suggesting we could become clean together."

Chomper stopped and gazed at Ruby's face, wincing guiltily before gently touching her hand. "Sorry."

Ruby smiled appreciatively. While the pair stood and helped wipe the goop off each other, Littlefoot sat down with the others and sighed.

"What's with them lately? I thought they really got better this time."

"Wait, you mean they went back to being mean before?" Chomper asked.

"Remember that story about when the Thundering Falls got blocked up?" Littlefoot asked. "Hyp and his gang were bothering us during that time but they became nicer after we unblocked the water and we did our first Time of Great Giving. I thought they learned their lesson but at some point they just went back to their old ways. It's confusing."

"It is." Petrie nodded. "Me thought they really changed after they help us with fast biter eggs, but it not stick either. Me thought when you grow up, you become better person, but it not happening for them."

"That is strange." Ruby murmured. "Then again, it isn't so strange for people to slide back as they grow up."

"That's kind of sad." Ducky said. "I mean, I kind of like them when they aren't being mean. Right, Spike?"

Spike nodded, looking morose Hyp and his friends couldn't just kick back and enjoy life in a manner that didn't hurt anyone but made others happy as well. Chomper also appeared faintly sad, as though letdown that his fledgling friendship with the trio, especially Mutt, didn't live up to its potential. Cera's surveyed the depressed reactions from the others and scowled.

"Look, maybe they will change for good, maybe they won't. I have my bets on won't. But being moody about it isn't going to make them turn over a new leaf any faster. Let's just have some fun today, okay?"

"That right." Petrie said. "This is job for their parents."

"And as we learned from Chomper, we're too young to be parents." Ducky chuckled. "So what do we play now?"

Chomper and Ruby cleaned up the last of the goop and walked over from the pond, a bit wet but otherwise clean. Chomper actually smiled at Ducky's silly comment while Ruby considered the question.

"How about something relaxing, like hide and seek?" Ruby said. "Okay, the seeker might not do much relaxing and the hider mightn't find hiding a relaxing thing to do but after all the running we did yesterday, I think we deserve the break."

"That sounds good to me." Cera said.

"Me second it." Petrie said.

"Eh, eh." Spike nodded, obviously eager for a game with the thrill of adventure minus all of the dangers that were usually packaged with it.

"I don't want to be the seeker, here." Chomper said. "I'm still tired. So who else should play?"

They considered the problem for a second. As one, everyone slowly turned toward Littlefoot with knowing smiles. Littlefoot stepped back.

"You want me to be seeker?" he asked. "But I'm tired too."

"You're the one with the clever brain though." Cera said. "If you're the seeker, hiding will be a lot more challenging."

Despite knowing he was being flattered, Littlefoot couldn't help perking up. "Oh…really."

"You help us outwit sharpteeth and all sorts of bad guys." Petrie said. "If you seeker, it be more fun. Scary…but fun."

"We'd have to find really good hiding places for you to find us." Ruby said.

"You would have fun too, Littlefoot." Ducky said. "C'mon, please? Please?"

"Please, please, please?" Chomper said.

The others walked toward him with wide pleading eyes. Littlefoot's resolve held until Spike gave his shoulder a few expansive licks, and he laughed.

"Alright, alright, I give up," he chuckled. "You sure know how to flatter. Now I know what Ducky felt when we asked her to lure that sharptooth into the pond."

"That's exactly where we got the idea to persuade you." Ducky teased. "Now go and start counting."

Littlefoot shook his head but smiled as he turned to press his nose against a tree.

"One treestar, two treestar, three treestar – I don't hear you running! – four treestar, five treestar…"

He heard the others hastily scramble away, the sound of their footsteps disappearing with the rustle of shrubbery and tumble of pebbles. He was surrounded by nothing but silence in the last ten treestars he counted down yet when he turned around, he was nothing but high spirits.

"Ready or not," he said with playful menace, "I'm going to find you!"

* * *

Ducky wasn't that far away when she heard Littlefoot's declaration. She stifled her giggles as she patted through bushes, attempting to find an opportune earthy nook or tree cubby to squeeze herself into. She loved the image of Littlefoot walking unsuspectingly by and getting startled by a "boo!" That would be a good laugh for everyone. She was so distracted by her mission, she didn't notice one of her sisters walking in from the perpendicular direction until she nearly bumped into her.

"Oh, hello." Ducky said, stepping back. "Nice to see you here. What are you doing?"

"Trying to find berries." Ducky's sister replied. Ducky recalled her name was Bitty. "They're going to be used to teach the younger set how to swim. I can't wait to be done with this."

"I know that feeling. Teaching others to swim is fun, but not as much fun as swimming with them without worrying if they flipped in the water or made funny faces because it was fun or because they don't know what they're doing."

There were giggles of agreement and Ducky found her spirits rising. She gave Bitty a considering look. Now that she thought about it, she remembered Bitty was a sibling from the second batch, particularly from her favored speckled egg that got taken by egg stealers and ultimately led them to hatching and becoming friends with Chomper. Ducky had enjoyed being with Bitty and her other new brothers and sisters but at some point she fell out of close contact with them in her many adventures with her friends. For most of the time, Ducky hadn't thought enough about it to be bothered by this arrangement with her family, simply enjoying the time she had with them. But her memory of her close brush of death with Ichy yesterday and her sad thoughts about the siblings she didn't get close too rose to prominence in her mind. Suppressing a wince, Ducky shook her head and forced a smile at Bitty.

"Hey, speaking of fun, maybe you can join me and my friends in hide and seek," she said eagerly. "Littlefoot is the seeker and we look enough alike that we can confuse him. Spike is also playing. It would be fun, it would."

Some of the energy left Bitty. "Uh, that does sound fun. But…" She hesitated, gazing around, suddenly unable to meet Ducky's eye. "As I said, we need to teach the younger ones how to swim and that'll take a while. Not to mention Cen promised to teach me to whistle another funny tune today and I don't want to break his promise. Sorry."

In spite of herself, Ducky deflated. "Oh." A brief second of awkward silence. Then, with an effort of cheer, she added. "Well, it's okay. Promises are important, so you should keep them with your brothers and sisters, you should, you should. Say hi to them for me. Maybe we can play some other time. You'll at least have excitement, oh you will."

Bitty perked up, buoyed by Ducky's encouragement. "Um…just as long as the only sharptooth that comes around to bring excitement is Chomper," she said with a giggle. "He's cute. Anyway, see you!"

Waving, she cheerily bounded off. Ducky watched her leave, feeling an unpleasant stinging in her stomach. It was understandable, she told herself. Bitty and her siblings had their own social lives, of course they wouldn't be available right off the bat and that didn't change how they still loved each other. Nevertheless, Bitty's hesitant reaction when Ducky brought the suggestion up hovered in her mind…

Ducky threw her concentration back to finding a hiding place. She poked around prospective plants, holes, and rocks in the area until she eventually chose a narrow tree with plenty of branches to get a good grip on. That would be a good place to scare Littlefoot, get the jump on him or go "boo," an undistracted part of her mind thought. She scaled the tree easily, almost like a lizard. It was a good workout, and she was making much progress. She was a swimmer by heart, but spending time with her friends had taught her how to climb with nearly as much skill.

But not perfect skill. She missed her next grab of a branch and shrieked as her balance on a lower tree limb wobbled. Before she could fall, a three-fingered hand grabbed her. With a great amount of effort, Petrie helped tug her up to the branch he was perched on.

"There you go," he gasped. "That close one. You should be more careful."

"Thank you Petrie." Ducky said.

She settled beside him. Normally, she would find something to say, especially since she really liked Petrie, but all she could think to do was kick the air distractedly. As the silence stretched on, Petrie glanced at her and fidgeted.

"You know, you not have to climb far. You could sit in leaves on branch above Littlefoot's head and he won't see you. Great place to give him a good scare. Me would find it funny."

"I know," she said mournfully. "I just kept climbing and before I knew it, I was high up. I wouldn't think to jump on him now, oh no, no, no."

Petrie hesitated, facing forward as his eyes darted to her. "Did – did something happen that make you want to be quite high?"

"I met one of my sisters." Ducky said. "I invited her to join the game, but she was busy."

"Ah, okay. That too bad but why it make you sad?"

"Because it's another sign my brothers and sisters don't seem willing to play with me when I'm with you guys."

"She say that?" Petrie said, surprised.

"She didn't say anything," Ducky sighed, "but she had the same expression my other brothers and sisters get when they do say something about it."

"Strange." Petrie murmured. "You all seem to get along. They don't look like they hate us."

"It's not that they hate you guys." Ducky said quickly. "They admire what we do, they do, they do. And they love being with me and Spike. We talk and play a lot when we're together. They find Spike so much fun to be with. It's just… they don't want to risk joining us just before we get involved in dangers."

"What? But we don't get involved in danger that often." Petrie protested. On further consideration, he sheepishly added. "Well, it sometime feel like we get in danger often…"

Ducky giggled. "Yeah, I feel like that sometimes too," she sobered up a bit. "But, well, all of that…the caves, the Mysterious Beyond, the sharpteeth…they don't think they could put up with that stuff. It's too scary and weird. So to avoid that, they don't hang out with us."

"Huh." Petrie scratched his head. He then admitted. "It is really scary to go on adventures with us. But me brothers and sisters like to talk about adventury things they do with friends after they get back to nest. That not like our adventures but…maybe your brothers and sisters only like to have adventures with friends. "

"That's just it." Ducky waved helplessly. "Many of them have friends but they don't wander far from home. It's always me and Spike that run off to be with you guys wherever you go. They don't always understand why we get involved in weird and dangerous things. Since it can be hard to talk about," she blew out a breath, "sometimes it feels like my family is only me, Spike, and Mama. I like all of them but I wish they can be closer to us, I do, I do."

"Oh." Petrie said. "Me never knew about this. It didn't seem to bother you before."

"It actually didn't." Ducky admitted. "I thought their refusal to join us was kind of funny at first and it was just silly preferences. But after that sharpbeak nearly got me yesterday, it made me think I really didn't get to know them."

"That is sad." Petrie said comfortingly. "You no need to stay with us all the time. You can have family time too."

Ducky welled up a smile. "Thank you, Petrie, but…when you have a lot of siblings, you need a lot of time to get to know them and that might mean me and Spike mightn't be with guys as much. We want to be with both our family and friends, but there isn't enough time and I don't want to have to ignore you guys, oh no, no, no."

"I see." Petrie said. He considered a thought. "How does Spike feel about this?"

Ducky shrugged, with flickers of fondness. "Oh, you know Spike. It does bother him a bit but he doesn't linger on his worries, oh no. He uses the time we have our brothers and sisters to play with them to the fullest. He doesn't much like the dangers we get into either, but he likes adventuring so long as it doesn't worry Mama too much."

"Me don't want to worry Mama much either." Petrie giggled a bit. Then he calmed and looked down sadly. "And about that ignoring thing. Well…uh…me do not want you or Spike to be away either."

"Exactly." Ducky gave another sigh. "Though it might be tough to get closer to them if I do spend more time with them anyway. Not all of them stay with Mama. Many of them stay with Papa. Mama seems sometimes sad that all of us aren't together but she also seems happy when only a few of my siblings are around. It's pretty rare when all of my brothers and sisters are together in one place. And whenever the two of us bring up our adventures with you guys, talking can become awkward. I know they all love me and Spike, and we love them, but that they aren't always interested in what we do…sometimes, family can be confusing. It is, it is."

"Yeah, it can be." Petrie then sighed. "Sorry."

Ducky blinked. "For what?"

"You having hard time with this brothers and sister issue, and me not know what to say to help. Me not doing good job at being friend."

"Oh, don't say that Petrie." Ducky said quickly, putting a companionable arm around him. "You're being a very good friend, you are. These issues are hard. I don't expect them to be fixed quickly. Just having someone to talk to about it helps a lot."

"Oh. Okay, then." Petrie said. "Me wish me can help you make it right so it won't make you sad."

"Don't worry," she patted his back. "It's sad but I can deal with it. I'm sure we'll find a solution at some point. It just takes time. I can still have fun before it's solved. I still have a lot of fun with my brothers and sisters and some of the best fun I have is with my friends, yep, yep, yep."

Petrie cautiously smiled. "Okay. If you sure."

Ducky leaned against Petrie, already feeling in higher spirits. She hadn't been lying to Petrie when she said merely talking about the problem made her feel better. As she learned from her tiff with Spike that terrible cold time, just being angry and not directly talking about the problem only made it worse. As she settled, though, she noticed he wasn't so at ease in ways that couldn't be attributed to his usual nervous nature.

"Uh Petrie, is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it. Uh-" Remembering how Cera snapped at her when prodded too many times, Ducky hastened to add. "Not that you need to talk about it, you don't, but I'll try to help you like you tried to help me."

"It nothing." Petrie said hastily. He looked down. "Me was just thinking…at least you see them more often."

Ducky glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean? You see your brother and sisters a lot too. Do they still bother you?"

"No, they don't," he waved his hands with emphasis. "They not nearly as bad as they used to be. No, this more about-"

Just then a crested flyer sailed by high above, making a beeline for one of the distant Great Wall mountains. He was too far way for Ducky to glimpse particular details but Petrie seemed to recognize him. He jerked and quickly averted his eyes from the sky as the adult flyer disappeared out of sight.

"It about him." Petrie continued lowly. "Me Papa and Mama."

"That was your Papa?" Ducky asked, surprised. She eyed the sky, thoughtful. "Huh, I never really heard you talk much about him or even seen him before."

"That because he isn't around much." Petrie sighed. "Well, flyer fathers aren't around much but..."

"They aren't?" Ducky said, confused. "Wait, I don't think I've seen many flyer mamas and papas together before. What is up with that?"

"From what Mama says, many papa flyers think their only duty is to help make eggs and not get in way of the mamas. They don't see their duty is to be papa. Some nice about it and some don't care. Uncle Pterano didn't like that. He thought papas should be closer to the kids, and help the mamas." Petrie gave a bit of laugh. "It one of few things he actually wise about. Anyway, Papa not that bad. Me brothers and sisters can visit him a lot and he visits the nest to talk with Mama. He can be nice. But problem he not couple with Mama anymore. They…separated."

"Separated?" Ducky repeated. "You mean, not together, like Cera's Dad and Tria or like Littlefoot's grandparents are together? That separated?"

"Me know, it confusing." Petrie nodded. "Me can understand a new parent like with Cera, or a missing parent like with Littlefoot but a parent who don't want to be with other parent..." he shook his head. "They together before we got to valley. He liked us. But Papa and Mama argued a lot, about everything. He wanted me to practice flying more but Mama said some flyers struggle and need another approach, and Papa said it too dangerous to wait for that approach and…you get idea. By time we get to valley, Papa and Mama said they can't be together no more."

"I see." Ducky said. "I don't know how that feels but my parents aren't together much, even if they're still together, and that sometimes makes me sad. That must mean you're even sadder, but it didn't sound like it bothered you much before."

"It didn't." Petrie admitted. "Me was a bit sad but shrugged it off, as I had you as good friends. Sometimes brothers and sisters stay with him, or visit, but Mama so nice, me happy to just be with her. But few days ago, Papa stayed with us for long time, laughing and having fun. There some arguing but it still fun. By the time he left, me was sad. When me asked why he can't stay, she said it wouldn't be good for anyone."

"Why wouldn't it be good for anyone?" Ducky asked curiously. "If it'd make everyone happy, they could try it again, they could."

"That what me say, but she say there would only be fighting. She try to explain that some couples can't make up and remain couples but they still seem to get along. Me, you, and our friends fight and make up all the time, so why can't they? Me wonder what problem that cause them to split, if it have to do with me going missing but-" he waved in frustration.

"What would you going missing have to do with them…?" Ducky trailed off and then covered her mouth, "Oh, Petrie! Do you think it's your fault?"

Petrie shook his head. "Mama say me going missing only made them realize they can't work. Even Papa say not to blame myself. But that only more confusing. And all that confusion only remind me...me don't understand so many things. Me get scared and confused so easily. While on adventures me panic, you guys think of way out of dangers or show they aren't dangers at all. At home, if something weird or scary happen, me get scared while Mama keeps good head. She make mistakes like other parents but she make lots of smart decisions too, which helps me calm down so much. Me wish not to bother her with my stupid fears and be more like her, but me have hard time, especially with Papa issue. They seem more like bickering friends than couple, and with all of this being too sad and confusing…" he sighed. "This happen two days ago. Me thought that scary ghost thing would make me forget about it, but it won't go away."

Ducky stared at him thoughtfully. "Is that why you were so into exploring those caves yesterday? You seemed very interested in it – and tried to give ideas to escape when that sharpbeak found us."

"Yeah. Me was trying to not think about those problems and show me can have good ideas. It only made things worse though. It might have been better to not say anything at all. Me wish me can be smart and understand things like Mama and everyone does but sometimes I'm scared that'll never happen."

"Oh, Petrie, it will." Ducky said, patting him assuredly. "Don't put yourself down like that. You had a hard time learning to fly, but you fly so well now. You still get very scared but now you don't let that stop you from doing very brave things, including save me so many times. You'll get smarter too. We all will. We're smarter than we were when we first met, yep, yep, yep, and I'm sure we'll be smarterer when we grow up. I don't think you bother your parents as much as you think, but I'm sure one day you'll understand them and make them happy. Count on it."

Petrie welled up a smiled. "Thanks, Ducky. Me still not sure but…maybe we can both figure out our family issues."

"No problem." Ducky said. "If there's a way I can help a friend, I'm going to do it, I am, I am. I hope we can find a way to understand our families so we can have them understand our thoughts."

The pair remained silent for a moment, a bit higher in spirits but wondering how to resolve their problems involving families they so dearly valued. Then there was the distant sound of bushes being rustled and Littlefoot's voice called out.

"Are you there, Petrie? I know you're somewhere high, but I'll find you eventually."

Petrie gasped but quickly grabbed his beak. Ducky also covered her mouth. They stayed that away until the distant rustling quieted and uncovered their mouths with quiet giggles.

"Me forget we play hide and seek." Petrie said.

"We better be quiet or we would be founded, yes we will." Ducky then smiled. "Thanks for listening, Petrie. I do feel much better now, I do, I do."

"Me too. Talking to someone about problems can make you feel better. Anyway, let remember to play the game."

With that, Ducky and Petrie waited for Littlefoot to track them down, keeping a close watch of the ground or looking around at the skies, content to be in each other's presence and enjoy the nice day.

* * *

"No Spike there. Okay, then. Let's look for a bush with his teeth marks…"

Littlefoot swept his gaze around speculatively, attempting to see any green that was slightly off from the rest of his surroundings. By some unspoken agreement, the group usually only went so far before finding a hiding place. Not only would it be unfair for the seeker to have to trawl the whole valley for six of their friends, but having to run that far was a bother for the hiders too. Littlefoot had some confidence he could track them down. He vaguely heard the directions their feet disappeared off to and he was sure Spike went this way. Littlefoot's eyes settled on a big clearing in the distance.

"Maybe he's somewhere around there." Littlefoot said.

Littlefoot slinked there, keeping his ears peeled for any telltale chomping of a hungry spiketail. He already decided he didn't want to be out in the open where Spike could see him, so he searched around the clearing's edges. He was so focused on his query that he didn't realize there were people in the clearing until a stern voice came out.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to harass others, Hyp? Do you have any idea how this is making us look?"

Littlefoot froze for a moment and darted behind a particularly thick tree. He had no doubt what the argument was about and he had no intention of inflaming the matter any further by getting spotted by Hyp and his family.

"What – what are you talking about?" Hyp said with a bit of a tremor, intimidated by his father's tone.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Hyp's father snapped. "I heard about it all from that elder flyer Don. He was raving about it even before he landed to tell your mother and I. Bullying children…have you no shame?"

"Why should you believe him?" Hyp said hastily. "He's old, you know, he might be going senile. Not to mention he likes to say 'Wing Father' all the time. Can you really trust someone weird like that?"

"I don't care how weird he is." Hyp's father retorted. "He might be so curmudgeon he would only speak to us from a distance, but he was put together enough to tell an accurate tale about what you might be up to. Judging by your reaction now, he's right on the mark. You can't lie yourself out of trouble, Hyp. Why are you doing this to Littlefoot and those other kids? They have gone through enough without you adding more pain to their lives."

"I was just having fun." There was the surly sound of a pebble being kicked. "We only threw goopy Tree Sweets at them. Me and my friends do that sort of stupid stuff all the time. If we really wanted to mess with him, I'd pretend to be a sharptooth and snort up bones in front of him, that squirt really loves sniffing all the time."

There were a few snorts and intakes of breath, followed by a strangled pause.

"That – that's not the point." Hyp's father replied, voice wavering as though trying not to laugh. He forced anger back into his tone. "What you do with your friends is different from what you do to those kids. They don't want your pranks. They don't want your taunts. Yes, Don mentioned the taunts. What you three said to that Chomper child is cruel. I'm disappointed in you, Hyp. Why can't you be good like the other children?"

"Why do I have to be like the others?" Hyp muttered. "I thought growing up means becoming more of your own boss, but I'm still being bossed around like a baby."

"Because you're still acting like a baby." Hyp's father growled. "One day, you'll learn there's more to being an adult than being your own boss. I – we're tired of the complaints from the other parents. We didn't raise you to be this way and if you don't start changing your tune soon…"

The crack of something long and narrow hitting the ground followed, causing Hyp to yelp.

"Don't make me return to the tail." Hyp's father said quietly. "It doesn't fit this peaceful valley."

There was a tense, resentful silence. A third person in the clearing gave a worried, soft gasp and Hyp grunted with the quivering tone of someone unexpectedly massaging his back.

"Listen," said a strained, concerned voice that must be Hyp's mother. "We aren't asking you to change completely. You have positive qualities, ones we love – ones we see your friends adore about you…"

"Sometimes a bit too much." Hyp grumbled. "They're been starting to baby me too, asking if I'm okay or trying to help me up."

"Now that sounds like they want to be better friends to you. They're growing to care about you."

"They're so weird and embarrassed about it, it doesn't help much. It gets kind of suffocating."

"Still, isn't it nice that you're friends care enough to risk embarrassing themselves to try making you feel better? They could try to, erm, give you more room to breathe," The voice of Hyp's mother briefly wavered on the last word, "but at least they don't sound like they'll abandon you in distress.

Hyp reluctantly grunted, as though conceding and even finding some solace in her points. Hyp's mother decided to plow on

"Anyway, you have great positive qualities. Your wit, your energy…even that heart we occasionally get a peak of. We see how it brings joy to you and your friends. Just…leave the kids alone. They don't bother you, so you don't have to bother them. Please, consider our words. I don't know how much more of this we can take."

Hyp was quiet for a moment. "You're saying there are parts of me that are bad."

"Even the best of us have parts of ourselves that are less than favorable." Hyp's mother said hastily. "They only need to be tweaked…fixed. Something like that."

"Fix? Why do I need fixing?" Hyp stamped a foot angrily. "I'm never good enough. There is always something you want tweaked or fixed about me. Why don't you ask for a different son while you're at it, for all you're trying to change me?"

"Asking for you to change doesn't mean we're asking for a different son." Hyp's father said impatiently. "Don't try to twist her words, Hyp. You understand exactly what we're asking and you're being petulant about a reasonable request."

"You're always piling 'reasonable requests' on me." Hyp retorted. "When are you going to stop controlling me? It's like you want me to depend on you two for the rest of your lives. You're still my parents, but I'm not a hatchling to be ordered around anymore. If you refuse to understand that, then you're the petulant ones!"

"But you're not a grownup yet, either." Hyp's mother said. "Even then, you have to compromise and-"

"So what? You never have to compromise with me." After some hesitant silence, there was the grassy rustle of a foot. "Oh, not going to elaborate again? Coward."

"Watch your mouth." Hyp's father growled. "Don't take another step-"

"What, I can't even move without your permission? Fine, I'll be somewhere where you can't see me move!"

There was the stamping of feet in a westerly direction and Hyp left the clearing, his father's voice calling after him.

"Hyp, where are you going? Come back here this second, I mean it!"

"Oh, give it a rest dear." Hyp's mother sighed. "This is just leading to the same ineffective result."

"It used to lead to the effective result of keeping him in line." Hyp's father retorted. Quietly, he added. "Granted, he's still scared, but he didn't talk back like that before. He's getting used to the treatment. I don't want to be get harder on him but if he continues to bully these kids…"

"We shouldn't be going harder and harder in the first place." Hyp's mother said. "You don't mean to, dear, but…he interprets your strict concern as domineering, and since that's most of what he knows, he thinks he should relate to others by dominating them. He – he needs a different approach."

Hyp's father grunted. "What approach? I'm not denying a point is there, but if we go the nice route, he'll only take advantage of us. It's hard to trust him."

"I'm not saying we only do the nice route. I'm only…oh, I don't know. We need some way to teach him where the lessons will stick. I know the current way of doing things is a problem." There was a sound of frustration. "Oh, but I can't think of a solution. Just like always."

"Don't worry, we'll find a way." Hyp's father's tone turned gentle. "In the meantime, we have to be certain about some things when raising a child. Here, I try to follow my instincts. They tell me where I need to go, and now they say our son needs strict boundaries"

"But instincts can be wrong." Hyp's mother said softly. "You can be so certain you're doing the right thing, and then…I mean, Hyp seems certain about his actions. People have got hurt or worse by thinking they are right. I should know, my instincts nearly made me…" There was a shaky pause, and she rushed on as though to suppress an unpleasant memory. "How do we learn to know what to do so he'll learn to know what to do?"

Hyp's father grunted. "If we doubt our certainty too much, we won't get anywhere. It's because most of us migrating dinosaurs were so certain as a group that we made it to the Great Valley at all. Those who weren't…well, they followed Pterano. Anyway, let's go after Hyp. The lesson mightn't stick this time, but if we're consistent with him, then maybe someday he'll look back on what we did with understanding."

"I hope we're consistent on the right things. Oh, parenting is such a challenge…"

With a strained yet concurring sigh, Hyp's father led his mate out of the clearing. Littlefoot stayed where he was, listening to their footsteps vanish in the same direction as their son's, absorbing everything he had overheard with a heavy heart.

*I thought Hyp and his parents were getting along better.* Littlefoot thought. *Why are they fighting again?*

With this family conflict on his mind, his enthusiasm for hide and seek waned. He continued searching for his friends but it became little more than rudimentary. He wandered around a collection of boulders and wasn't watching where he was putting his feet. One foot caught on the edge of an oddly shaped large rock, and he stumbled. The rock yelped.

"Ow! Watch where you're going?"

Littlefoot swiveled his head and blinked. "Cera?"

"Littlefoot – oh, I was…"

A brown form rose up on legs and turned around, blinking green eyes at him. Cera stood there, slicked from head to toe with mud, agog that Littlefoot had discovered her. He examined her, confused himself.

"Why are you covered in mud?" he asked.

"Um, only because…" Cera averted her gaze. "Tria told me how she disguised herself as a rock with mud during our trips to the mud pool, so I got the idea to try it out myself with a nearby mud pit. I thought it'd be a good way to trick you and…" she looked up. "What are you smiling for?"

"Oh, nothing." Littlefoot looked away, but his soft smile remained. "I just think it's nice you're so close to Tria now. From how you first reacted to her, I wouldn't have ever thought you'd take up ideas from her."

"She can have her good ideas." Cera said defensively. "She says she almost never got found. You have to admit, the idea was impressive. But…" she trailed off, grumbly.

Littlefoot grinned slowly. "But I still _found_ you."

"What a victory." Cera rolled her eyes. "The great Littlefoot, clever enough to drown a sharptooth, found me by accident because he didn't look where he was going. I'd hold back from bragging if I were you."

Littlefoot laughed. "Alright, you got me there. Let's go find the others. And while we're doing that, I'll tell you what I overheard…"

After Cera washed off the mud, Littlefoot informed her about Hyp's argument with his parents while they searched for their friends. He began to repeat himself when he found Spike but Cera put her foot down and said she refused to have the tale regurgitated five times in a row, so he was compelled to put the story on hold until he found everyone. That forced Littlefoot to work a bit harder on the game, and he began to track down the rest of the others. It took a few hours, but he at last found Ruby hiding among some vines of sweet bubbles, having already helped herself to some of them. The sight of their normally whimsical but insightful friend tangled in vines and with sweet bubble juice around her beak caused a gale of good-natured laughter. After looking confused a bit, Ruby cottoned on and joined in. After that levity, the gang settled in tired but attentive as they listened to Littlefoot's story.

By the time Littlefoot had finished, there was a range of reactions, from fascination to confusion to boredom. Littlefoot rolled over and contemplated how to amend his tale.

"I feel kind of sorry for them." he said. "I mean, they do love each other, but all they seem do is fight, fight, fight. It'd be sad if they'll always be like that."

"Come on Littlefoot, we've been over this." Cera replied. "Some people take forever to change and some never do. We don't need to be everyone's hero."

"Besides, I'm sure Hyp's parents will try to work something out, they will." Ducky said. "We just need to let them."

"Not to mention that people can change in strange ways during the Time of Great Growing." Ruby said. "They don't always want to go with the ways of their parents and that can make relations to those parents difficult. I'm sure Hyp's relations with his family will work out before or just as he becomes a grownup, just as it often happens with other people and their parents."

Littlefoot suppressed a wince. His friends were fortunate. If his grandparents could live on long enough to his first few years of adulthood, it would be a miracle. Even if they did last that long Littlefoot didn't much like the thought of spending their last years clashing with them over this or that disagreement, making them unhappy and potentially spoiling their bond with him. Quickly, he shoved that thought aside.

"I know. I know all of that. It's just…" Littlefoot sighed. "It makes me wonder...if Mother was still around, would I fight with her as much. She just accepted everyone stayed with their own kind. If I hung out with you, maybe she wouldn't like it."

There was an awkward silence.

"I mean, she can't be that bad." Cera said. "She went out of her way to save me. I'm sure she would have been fine with us."

"She also visit you as ghost." Petrie said. "If she have problem, she would have said something."

"Besides, I'm sure you two could have patched things up like me and Spike did during that white sparkly cold time." Ducky said. "We love each other very much and fixed our problems, we did, we did. You and your mother love each other too, so the same thing would have happened."

Spike nodded and bayed at Littlefoot, normally laidback eyes filled with the reassurance that came with that difficult experience. Littlefoot smiled, his chest warmly soothed by his friends' words.

Ruby rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Your grandparents parent you. Don't you sometimes fight with them?"

"A bit," Littlefoot admitted, "but they're so patient it takes the fight out of you. They really try to help me when I have a problem. Even when they're wrong, I can't stay mad at them for long. They're nice and gentle…sometimes even fun," he smiled softly. "I'm really glad to have them."

"Good for you." Cera said. "Some of us have to deal with parents who aren't so serene."

"Ooh, that really true for your dad." Petrie said.

"Budge off! He's the dad I have," she sobered up. "You're also the friends I chose to have. Me and Dad fought about that a lot after we came to the valley. He thought you guys were a bad influence but I didn't want to stick with only threehorns. You should have heard us shout. But I could out-stubborn him. Eventually, he stopped arguing with me and just accepted I wasn't going to leave you guys anytime soon."

"I did notice he went from being interested in protecting you to protecting all of us." Ducky said.

"He will even protect me." Chomper said. "And we all know what he thinks of me."

"Tria doesn't seem like the arguing type," Ruby said, "but now I say it, you will say you do argue with her."

"Not by much." Cera replied. "We got into tiffs when she tried to help me with my problems in the beginning but that didn't last long. She really wants to fit in," she smirked. "She asked for ramming lessons from Dad since she wanted to better protect us. Dad objected but Tria said, 'since I'm going to be part of this family, I might as well prepare for this family's unique challenges,' or something like that."

"She's got a point, she does." Ducky said. "We do find ourselves in danger a lot, right Spike."

Spike nodded, not looking at all pleased that was the case but resigned to that fact. Ducky fidgeted.

"Yep, yep, yep, our mama doesn't like the danger we get into either," she said. "She didn't stop us from going to you guys as much but she always asked about where we got up to and if it was safe. It kind of got annoying, but we understood. It's stressful enough to look after all our brothers and sisters, without having to worry about some of us getting into extra danger. She still worries but likes we have such good friends."

"Uh-huh." Spike concurred, smiling softly at the thought of Mama Swimmer's acceptance of their friendship with Littlefoot and the others. He had looked troubled when Ducky explained how their mother worried and that emotion receded but didn't totally disappear from his eyes.

"Same with my mama." Petrie said. "She don't really yell much but she explain how she worry about danger we get up to. She sometime ask me to take break from you guys but me refuse. If you guys get in trouble…but she no do that much anymore. She proud of me and say me blossom when me with you guys. She now argue if me eating right or flying right or other stuff instead. "

"I don't know what I'd talk about now with my mommy and daddy," Chomper chuckled. "I'm sure they'd be very worried if they knew what I got up to with you guys. When I was with them, they sometimes scolded me when I wandered off or did something weird like speak leaf eater with what was supposed to be our food. I think some of my weirdness did bother them. But they were more bothered that my weirdness may get me into trouble someday and they were scared that if I did get into trouble, they might not be able to do anything to protect me…" he trailed off, sad and concerned. "I love them but I hope they know I'm doing okay."

"Parents do like to argue because they worry." Ruby said. "I guess arguing is part of being a parent. Most of my arguments with my parents was arguing about where I should or shouldn't go. I sometimes talk back to them with what I know but they usually talk back with what they know, and since they know more than I know, I usually give in to them. All of this is done out of love, even if it's an annoying kind of love. I'm sure Hyp's parents are annoying him because they love him in the same way."

"Yeah, but even Cera doesn't argue with her parents that much." Littlefoot said. "We do get along a lot of the time. Hyp and his parents seem to be arguing a lot of the time. I'm sure they love each other but if there are no positive moments, well…how terrible would it be if one of them died and the last thing they did was argue."

There was nervous shifting. Many of them imagined the arguments they got into with their guardians and how they would feel if the guardians had dropped dead the next day. Some worried about dying themselves and how their guardians would cope if the last conversation was all negativity. Spike shuddered and gave an upset groan, either concept the worst that could happen to his mother, who already had enough to deal with. Cera shook her head as though throwing off a shiver and sighed expansively.

"Look, he's a creep but we won't let him die if we can help it, and neither would his parents. It's as Ruby said, they'll manage to get along with him at some point. I mean, my dad and your grandpa get along better now and they used to be at each other's throats. It's not going be all doom and gloom as you imply it to be."

"I know." Littlefoot admitted. "Still, I know not everyone ends happily…"

"Hey," Cera nudged closer and met his eyes encouragingly, "even after everything we've went through, you're happy now right?"

Littlefoot thought about it, and slowly smiled. "You're right. I hope things will work out."

"They will, they will, you'll see." Ducky said. She looked up at the sky, noting the sun's early afternoon position. "Anyway, it looks like it's time for our trip home now. It's been a bit sad, with this Hyp talk and other stuff but," she smiled, "we had a lot of fun today, we did, we did. Let's remember that so our parents don't see us coming back depressed, okay?"

"Even if depressing thing is something worrying like ghosts?" Petrie asked.

They all faltered, eyes lowering to rove the grass. After escaping that cave, the gang didn't know what to make of the impossible adventure they had been a part of. As they ate to restore much spent energy, they decided with only a few mumbled words to not talk about it and resume (albeit far more sedate) playing for the rest of the day. There had been so much fear and sadness during those claustrophobic-filled hours, they had to occupy themselves with joy and silliness to balance it out. They even didn't want to tackle it today, after the nightmares and disturbed rest originating from that experience. However, what happened in those caves were too monumental for them to ignore and it was clear they had to discuss it.

"Should we tell them about it?" Littlefoot asked. "The ghost. I mean, that's a big thing."

"Of course not." Cera said. "I mean, who really believes ghosts exist? They'll just think we're having a laugh."

"They might want to know about the bellydragger and sharpbeak that nearly got into the valley." Ducky said. "The bellydragger might come back, she might."

"And sharpbeak might make up with bellydragger and help her or any other meat eater." Petrie said nervously. "He ghost, he could stick around. He can no hurt anyone now but he can help people that hurt us. Should we talk about that?"

"Maybe." Ruby said dubiously. "But who says a ghost can stick around? From how the sharpbeak talked, he thought this was the end for him. That could be because there are things you can't do as a ghost you can do in a body but it might be because he knew in some way he'll fade away. He was still a ghost when only the bellydragger could, erm, technically see him and he believed he was still alive. Maybe you and your friend thinking you're alive keeps you there, but when you and your friend find out you're not alive, that leaves you no choice but to fade away."

Chomper nodded. "That makes sense. Uh, as much as ghosts can make sense. If you're a ghost and can stick around, why do you need to be invisible and think you're not dead?"

"I think the bellydragger could still return." Ducky said. "We just shouldn't mention the ghost part, oh no, no, no. Uh, we might need to mention the bellydragger's blind as a way to stop her, so we can't leave the sharpbeak out entirely…"

"We could say we couldn't see the sharpbeak because the caves were dark and his attempt to get us killed him, causing the bellydragger to leave." Littlefoot said slowly. "But then they'd worry about us for some other reason. Besides, without the sharpbeak…I don't think the bellydragger is coming back. I don't believe she wants to return to the place where she learned she killed her friend. Even if she did, she is too blind to find her way back and navigate those tunnels. We blocked the only known route to the surface, so she'd starve before she'd find a way out."

"So that's one problem likely down." Ruby said. "But there is still the problem of what the appearance of a ghost likely means."

"How do we know it means anything?" Cera said impatiently. "For all we know, it could be some kind of fluke. Random, weird things happen in the world all the time. It doesn't mean there's a pattern to worry about."

"Littlefoot's mother did appear to him as a spirit." Chomper said thoughtfully. "It wasn't random, but I never heard about it happening before."

"That is true." Littlefoot said reluctantly. "Still…"

"Hey, if we insist that we saw ghosts, our parents will think something's wrong with our brains." Cera said. "That'll give them something else to worry about, and we'd probably won't be allowed to go anywhere until they're sure we're alright," she gave them a sharp look. "They're not going to believe us unless they see a ghost personally, so we shouldn't even bother. You know there's a reason why we didn't bring up Chomper to our parents until we were forced to when he and Ruby appeared."

"If we did bring it up, it might have been easier for them to settle here." Littlefoot then sighed. "But I guess you're right. We have only our word, and we don't know what the ghost appearance means. It might be best not to bring it up so we don't worry our folks. Not to mention they won't be happy that we got ourselves into danger again."

"That's an understatement." Cera snorted. "They won't even be happy we drove those two predators off."

"Yeah, they say they would have starved in caves anyway." Petrie said. "Well, they might have but…"

"It might be best not to get in trouble at all." Ducky said. "Besides, I'd prefer our folks only worry about ordinary stuff rather than freaky stuff, I do, I do."

Spike nodded, becoming pensive at the thought of what their parents might be like if they knew what they were up to.

"So we all seem to be in agreement, then. We won't tell our folks about this." Littlefoot said. Then he sighed. "That is for the best, I guess. Hopefully, we can hide this well, and they won't then worry we're up to something."

"Chomper and my folks aren't here to be worried," Ruby said. "So we don't have to worry about worrying them, until we are with them at least."

"Yeah." Chomper said. "I can imagine how much my parents would freak if they found out what happened."

"Probably not as much as Tria and especially Dad would." Cera said wryly.

"I don't know, Cera." Chomper replied, with a flicker of a grin. "After being around your parents for this long, I can say my parents would join your dad in scolding us. They can be pretty harsh."

Cera rolled her eyes. "Now you're sounding like Hyp," she then snorted, amused. "Still, that's a good one. My dad, teaming up with your parents. I almost want to tell him that, to see how he reacts to being told he has things in common with sharpteeth."

The others laughed. The mental image of Mr. Threehorn sputtering in baffled annoyance at the comparison was very amusing. It was the welcome levity they needed. With laughter and good spirits back in place, Littlefoot and the others began their journey home. They didn't get far, though. A set of bushes rustled ahead and Nod and Mutt walked out, glancing around anxiously. Both groups stopped dead upon setting eyes on each other.

"Oh. It's you guys." Mutt said.

"Going to start something about it?" Cera said.

The two groups glared, body language tense. After several seconds, Nod was the first to break eye contact.

"Not now. We're kind of busy."

"We're looking for Hyp." Mutt elaborated.

"Oh, I heard him arguing with his parents in that clearing a bit far back." Littlefoot said. "He ran off in the direction where the bright circle sets, though I don't know where he is now exactly."

For some reason, Nod widened an eye quizzically at Littlefoot's answer, but only grumbled. "Well, that ain't much help."

"He's arguing with his dad again?" Mutt mumbled. "I hope he's okay."

"You hope?" Littlefoot repeated, tilting his head to the pair. His eyes became both sad and relieved. "So, at least you two care about Hyp."

Nod squirmed uncomfortably. "Hey, care mightn't be the right word…"

"Ooh." Cera slowly smirked. "Do you two just so happen to love Hyp?"

"They love Hyp, they love Hyp!" Petrie sing-songed.

Ducky giggled. "I think that's very cute, I do, I do."

Littlefoot and the others laughed teasingly at Mutt and Nod, who were trying to force down their blushes and not look mortified. Nod shook his head.

"Oh, come on Mutt," he said. "We aren't going to find out what happened with Hyp by standing here, that's for sure."

And the pair walked passed, resolutely ignoring Littlefoot and the others. Calming down from the laughter, Littlefoot thought to shake his head and move on when a voice called out.

"Why are you guys such jerks again?"

The pair turned back at Cera's question. She stared at them seriously.

"Seriously, you were alright after the first Time of Great Giving and in that fast biter egg adventure Littlefoot told me about. You seemed on your way to becoming better people. I don't care that much that didn't pan out but my friends are saps and it really upsets them. So tell us – why go back?"

The gang surveyed Cera, in turn surprised and touched. Mutt and Nod stared at Cera with blank bemusement, as though she grew a second head.

"What are you on about?" Nod said. "I don't remember us being chummy during those times."

Mutt nodded rapidly. "And if we were, it was probably because it would get us out of dying. You seem to be experts in that."

"I don't believe it." Chomper said fiercely. "You were really nice and friendly to us after that egg adventure, all of you. There was nothing fake about it."

"And there nothing fake about how you acted after you helped us free the Thundering Falls." Petrie said. "Me start to actually like you guys."

"We don't remember anything about becoming softies to you lot." Nod said shortly. "Stop confusing us."

"Yeah, if I want mind teases, Hyp would come up with one." Mutt said.

"Why are you guys friends with Hyp anyway?" Ruby said. "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be friendly to you."

Nod and Mutt glanced at one another as they considered this inquiry.

"Well, he's exciting." Mutt shrugged. "I never know what we're going to do next with him. We might kick around a rock or mess with you guys in funny ways. It might hurt sometimes, but I don't care. He also makes me laugh."

"Me too." Nod agreed. "We share the same rough sense of humor. It's great."

Mutt nodded distantly. "He makes the funnier jokes, though."

"Yeah…wait, no!" Nod then glared. "I make great jokes too."

"Well, they're okay." Mutt said distractedly. "They're just not the Hyp kind of okay."

Nod grounded his teeth. "Well, you're no better. You barely keep up with agreeing with us."

Mutt stiffened. "At least I don't say whatever he says like a talkback."

"You want to make a fight about it?"

"Yeah, maybe I will!"

The pair brought their heads close together and growled under their breath. Littlefoot and the others decided Nod and Mutt were no longer in the mood to talk further and slinked off before they became the victims of misdirected anger.

"I don't know about you, but I have had enough drama for one day." Cera muttered.

"Agreed." Chomper paused. "Thanks, Cera."

"For what?" Cera asked.

"For standing up for us, and asking what happened." Chomper said.

"Yeah." Littlefoot said. "We know you don't care that much about them, so we appreciate it."

"Hmpth." Cera looked away, a bit pleased. "Well, they had it coming. I don't like people messing with my friends," she smirked, "not least because the only person who can mess with you guys is me."

The others laughed, and Chomper shook his head fondly.

"And I have a lot of experience with that," he said.

Ducky giggled. "We all do, yep, yep, yep."

"It is what make you you. Sometimes, you make it fun." Petrie chuckled. He spread his wings out. "Anyway, see you later. Hopefully, we have more fun then."

"Yeah, I'll try not to bring up anything too depressing." Littlefoot said. "Bye!"

They bade farewell to each other and went their separate ways to their homes. Littlefoot walked slowly, mind going back to Hyp and his posse's reversion. Something didn't settle right about Hyp's family argument and that recent talk with Nod and Mutt. They clearly remembered going through freeing the Thundering Falls and moving the fast biter eggs from the valley. It would be one thing if they dismissed the lessons they learned from those adventures but to have no recollection of those lessons just didn't seem to fit with any sort of backsliding…

The topic receded from his thoughts somewhat when he finally came upon his grandparents eating from a tall tree. His spirits lifted to see they appeared to be enjoying their meal and that their postures were relaxed as they easily ripped treestars from the branches. Good, he thought. They were as healthy as always.

"Hello, Littlefoot. Have you had a fun with your friends?" Grandpa Longneck said. "I hope that tail injury didn't get in the way."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes fondly. "I told you, it was fine. The rocks from the Great Wall didn't hit the tip that hard." He waved his tail about for illustration. "See? It still moves like normal. I barely feel any pain now and that'll be gone by tomorrow. Nothing to worry about."

"Alright, alright." Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "Still, you can't blame us for being concerned about every scrape and bruise you get. It's a parent thing. So, what games did you play?"

"Oh, hide and seek." Littlefoot replied. "It was tiring, but finding out the silly ways my friends hid make it all worth it in the end."

"That sounds very entertaining." Grandma Longneck said. "I wish we could have joined in but when you grow to a certain size, it's kind of hard to find a hiding place where some part of you isn't sticking out."

Grandpa Longneck smiled. "Oh I don't know, Grandma. I managed to hide just fine from a sharptooth during that Bron rescue escapade. We still have it in us, we just need to try more. It certainly would be useful in evading Mr. Threehorn when he's in one of his moods."

In spite of himself, Littlefoot laughed. Grandma Longneck tried to look disapproving but her lips twitched and she too was soon chuckling. Grandpa Longneck's gentle laughter joined in.

"If the opportunity presents itself, let's not make it too obvious." Grandma Longneck said when she calmed down. "That would only drive up his temper even more."

"Don't worry, I'll keep that in mind." Grandpa Longneck replied. He smiled at Littlefoot. "Perhaps we might join you in one of these games after all. It's not too excruciating to hide."

"It is excruciating to find people." Littlefoot then said eagerly. "I'd love for you two to join though. It sounds like fun! I'll bring it up to the others later. I'm sure they won't mind, but they might find it a bit weird. Not all parents are willing to do that…"

Littlefoot fell into a sad silence. His grandparents looked at each other and brought their heads closer to him.

"Did something happen today?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"I overheard Hyp arguing with his parents." His grandparents stirred at the last word, but Littlefoot continued. "They were angry at him for bullying us again. When they tried to press him to change, Hyp ran away," he sighed. "They don't seem like a happy family."

"Many families try to be." Grandpa Longneck said. "Hyp is a difficult child. It can be hard to know what to do as a parent, so arguments can be frequent. I'm sure there is love but they might find it hard to communicate. They will probably settle it sooner or later…it just needs time."

"I know. It's just…what if Mother and I were always arguing like that? If the last thing we said to each other before she died was something terrible, I would feel horrible forever."

"Oh, Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck sighed. "If that happened, we hope you would learn to forgive yourself. Your mother wouldn't want you to carry that pain for the rest of your life. It's sweet you sympathize with Hyp despite what he does but you have to trust things will get better."

"In our first several interactions with Mr. Threehorn, you probably thought we would never get along." Grandpa Longneck said. "Now…we still argue, but we cooperate much better. The same will happen with Hyp. You have seen the potential he and his friends have. It will stick someday."

"If you say so." Littlefoot said. He smiled wryly. "I bet that's what his mother and father say to themselves every day when dealing with him. Being a parent sounds hard."

His grandpa and grandma gained odd, confused expressions.

"Did you just say…his mother and father?" Grandma Longneck said slowly.

"Um, yeah." Littlefoot replied, bemused. "That's why I said parent _s_ earlier, as in more than one. His father wanted to be strict with him and his mother wanted to take another route. It sounded like they argued about that a lot."

"That can't be." Grandpa Longneck murmured. "She – she really has come back?"

"Hyp's mother?" Littlefoot was bemused. "I didn't know she ever left."

His grandparents began to look uncomfortable.

"It's as you say, parenting can be hard." Grandma Longneck said. "Many never know of the challenges until they face them. While we journeyed to the Great Valley, Hyp's mother was one of the greater examples of this. Whenever we heard from that family, there was always shouting, always a disagreement. Hyp's father would discipline him – occasionally in ways we didn't approve of but we didn't feel it appropriate to intrude – and Hyp's mother would object, and try to think of another way to parent Hyp."

"But he didn't always listen to her either." Grandpa Longneck sighed. "She could see a problem but had trouble coming up with a solution, especially when under pressure. The stress of arguing with her mate and son was straining for her. Still, she tried to remain faithful. She loved them and tried to stick by them. In the end, though, she found the stress too much. After one argument too many, she walked away from them and left the herd."

"Wait, you mean she left her mate and Hyp?" Littlefoot said, eyes wide. "She left being a parent? I mean, I hear that can happen but – really?"

"Unfortunately." Grandpa Longneck replied. "In a better world, she would get the support she needed and learn how to adapt to the stresses of relationships and motherhood. But they didn't want much help. She was quite lost and wanted a way out. Hyp and his father seemed saddened and guilty over what happened but Hyp's father put on a stiff upper lip and Hyp covered up his feelings by resenting her."

"She wanted to start over." Grandma Longneck said. "We advised her against separating from the herd. There was plenty of room in the Great Valley to give herself space. But she felt even living in the same place as Hyp and her mate would remind all of them too much of the pain of her failures. She thought if she could cut off all contact, she could really think clearly, figure out who she was and what to do next. If she's become comfortable enough with herself to come back, that is good news indeed except…"

"What?" Littlefoot asked. "What's so bad about her coming back?"

"It's nothing bad, just peculiar…" Grandpa Longneck frowned. "An unsettling rumor floated about for a while that someone resembling her had washed up from a river. When they shook her, she never woke up."

"You mean she's dead? No, that can't be true, I definitely heard her voice and I – I …"

Littlefoot trailed off and his grandparents glanced at him, confused. Color slowly drained from his face as his mind made two connections: one, Hyp's mother's mention of what her instincts nearly made her do and the news she left her family; two, her nervousness around the mention of breathing and the rumor of her drowning. Littlefoot remembered how Nod also reacted oddly when the former brought up Hyp's parents in the plural sense. And there was one other detail, previously unnoticed but now very important…

"I only heard her voice," he said quietly.

"Is something the matter, Littlefoot?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing," Littlefoot said, as though his voice belonged to someone else. He staggered back slowly. "I just…need to go…right now. I won't be long."

Littlefoot turned and ran, not hearing his grandparents call his name. There was a rushing sound in his ears. This can't be real, Littlefoot thought. There must be some mistake, some misunderstanding. But even if there was some chance this might be true...he had to find out. He charted a course to the west, the direction he heard Hyp and his parents went, hoping they didn't radically change course and that he could run across them before anything significant happened.

He slowed in an open area dotted with trees and bushes where several dinosaurs were eating and relaxing. Panting, he swept his gaze about, on the lookout for anyone who was grey and bipedal.

"Where. Where are they?"

As he moved at an urgent pat, a few voices to his left started becoming tangible.

"…maybe I went too far with that 'coward' remark." Hyp's voice mumbled, reluctantly but some genuine regret escaping through. "I…apologize."

"That's okay, Hyp." Hyp's mother replied comfortingly. "We remember how trying being your age was. That's normal. The thing to do is to improve from your mistakes, and I'm glad you just tried to do that."

Littlefoot swiveled his head to see a small clump of bushes not far off, a bit packed together but not enough that he didn't see the wave of a grey tail. Littlefoot moved quickly, sliding through the bushes quietly enough that he got a second's glimpse of Hyp hesitantly smiling with tentative warmth to his left. Then Hyp looked around when Littlefoot came in, and the former's expression crumpled.

"Oh, it's you." Hyp said miserably. "What do you want?"

"Don't be rude, Hyp." Hyp's father said sternly. "Don't you have something to say to Littlefoot?"

Hyp glared behind himself before he reluctantly straightened from where he slumped next his parents and walked over to Littlefoot. Hyp struggled to keep eye contact.

"Sorry…about this morning," he muttered.

"There Hyp. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

There was a patting sound and Hyp flinched, grunting with the quivering tone Littlefoot now recognized as coming from an unexpected cold tough. Nevertheless, he relaxed like under the comforting contact of his mother, much of his resentment draining away. Nervously, Littlefoot's eyes flicked over Hyp's shoulder. On one side, Hyp's father stood, arms crossed, expression grimly satisfied. The voice of Hyp's mother came from the other side and Littlefoot carefully looked in that direction.

There was no one there.

"We're sorry for the trouble our son caused." The voice of Hyp's mother continued. "We had been talking to him about that when he ran off."

"But he has run off enough times that we know how to track him down." Hyp's father said. "We'll try to make sure he doesn't harass you children again."

Littlefoot didn't respond. He simply stared at the empty spot where Hyp's mother was speaking, attempting to align what his ears were picking up with what his eyes were seeing. The silence caused Hyp to fidget.

"So what did you come here for?" Hyp said. "Were you going to squeal on me, or something?"

Hyp's father gave him a warning look but as the silence stretched on, even he was becoming concerned. He glanced at where Hyp's mother stood and back to Littlefoot.

"Is something the matter, Littlefoot?" Hyp's father asked.

Littlefoot stirred. He took in Hyp, who had relaxed from his mother's touch. Littlefoot saw how comfortable Hyp's father was next to his mate. Unbidden, a memory rose of the horrified, heartbroken screams of two predators as they learned of an irreversible, awful truth.

"No. Nothing's wrong." Littlefoot found himself saying. "I was just worried about Hyp and wanted to make sure he was alright."

Hyp gave him a confused, suspicious look. Littlefoot tried not to react. There was an appreciative sound.

"That's sweet of you, Littlefoot." Hyp's mother's said. "Fortunately, we have reached an understanding here."

"We have everything under control." Hyp's father said. "Thank you for your concern. Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Nothing." Littlefoot said. "Only…you're fortunate to have each other. I'll be on my way."

Littlefoot turned to leave before they had a chance to react. It was better this way, he thought. This was a second chance for them. With her back in the picture, maybe the three could work through their issues. Hyp's mother could become a parent who had a better idea of what to do. Hyp's father could learn to be gentler with those he loves. And Hyp could let go of his resentments and become the happy, cheeky person Littlefoot had caught glimpses of. So what if one of their own was a ghost? If it meant that they would become a happy family, Littlefoot would keep their secret forever if he had to…

Littlefoot didn't take more than a few steps when he looked up and, with a thrill of shock, jerked to a stop. His grandparents were in front of him, surveying him and Hyp's family with great concern.

"Hello there, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck." Hyp's father greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Littlefoot suddenly ran off after expressing some concern for your family." Grandpa Longneck replied. "It was very odd, so we decided to follow to make sure he was okay."

*Oh, no.* Littlefoot thought. In his panic over the revelation Hyp's mother could be a ghost, he hadn't considered how concerning his visible shock and abrupt departure would be to his grandparents. Finding them here in front of Hyp's family was the last thing he expected, or needed in this delicate situation.

"And I'm okay." Littlefoot said quickly. "Anyway, we shouldn't bother them. Let's go home, Grandpa, Grandma."

Littlefoot made the air of walking away but Grandpa and Grandma Longneck stayed where they were, their eyes searching the small enclosure Hyp's family was in.

"I hope we aren't being intrusive but we thought we heard wonderful news for your family." Grandma Longneck said delicately. "Has…Hyp's mother really returned?"

"Returned?" Hyp's father repeated. "She has been here for a long time."

"Oh, so we missed her reappearance." Grandpa Longneck said. "Perfectly understandable. Where is she now, though? If she is willing, we want to become reacquainted with her. It's been a while since we talked."

Hyp and his father stared at Grandpa and Grandma Longneck in confusion. The voice of Hyp's mother hesitantly spoke.

"Um, I don't believe it has been that long since we talked."

Littlefoot's grandparents gazed in the voice's direction and only found empty air. Their gazes searched the nearby foliage.

"Oh, is that you?" Grandma Longneck asked. "Well, it has been a long time from our point of view."

"Where are you?" Grandpa Longneck said. "May you come out where we can see you?"

Feeling a bit panicked, wanting to rectify this terrible mistake he made, Littlefoot walked over and nudged his grandfather's leg urgently.

"Let's go!" he said. "The bright circle will be down any time now."

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Littlefoot?" Grandma Longneck said distractedly. "Grandpa's right. Come, now. You don't need to hide from us."

"But…I'm not hiding." Hyp's mother said. "I'm standing over here."

"If you're not hiding, I'd hate to see you actually be stealthy." Grandma Longneck replied. "Seriously, you can come out now."

"Is your sight going or something?" Hyp demanded. "She's standing right over there, next to Dad!"

He gesticulated to a spot of grass not that far from his father, appearing stunned he had to point this out. For several seconds, Littlefoot guiltily hoped that his grandparents might think their sight really was going or that Hyp's mother was still hiding for some reason and take themselves elsewhere. But Grandpa and Grandma Longneck surveyed the spot Hyp indicated with increasingly baffled expression before they shook their heads.

"I'm sorry." Grandpa Longneck said. "I don't know what you're seeing but…no one's there."

Hyp and his parents were quiet for several moments.

"This isn't very funny." Hyp's mother said, confused and nervous. "Stop this joke. It's cruel."

"I thought you two wouldn't lower yourselves to such humor." Hyp's father growled. "Pretending someone isn't there – for shame!"

"We're not being funny." Grandma Longneck insisted. "She isn't where you say she is."

"If she isn't, why can you hear her voice from there?" Hyp asked.

"I don't know." Grandpa Longneck replied. "This is quite peculiar. Littlefoot, can you see her?"

"I…" Littlefoot couldn't say another word. He very much wanted to lie, for Hyp and his family's sake, but he felt sick at the thought of making his grandparents question their reality to accomplish this. He settled for shaking his head helplessly. "Don't make me say anything. Please."

"Why aren't you giving a straight answer?" Hyp snapped. "You're upsetting Mom! Look!"

He went over and made as though to throw a supportive arm around someone's back but he overbalanced and fell down. There was a shriek.

"Son! You – you went through me! How-"

Hyp's father stared. "That can't be possible. Unless – it can't be. It – argh!"

Hyp and his father gasped, and gripped their heads. They groaned, pressing their temples hard but it didn't appear to ease the pain that was going through them. There was the sound of hasty footsteps.

"My goodness, are you alright? Please, hang on. I'm sure you'll be able to get over-"

The headaches for Hyp and his father seemed to ease and they gradually straightened, eyes wide with a strange emotion. Hyp's mother abruptly quieted.

"I remember." Hyp's father said slowly. "Oh no, I remember. You were…you were never here, dear. As much as it pains me, you left us before we reached the valley."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Hyp's mother said tremulously. "I was here, I was always here. No. Don't do this to me too."

"But it's true." Hyp said, with an increasing mix of confusion and resentment. "You abandoned us. It's just been me and Dad in the valley for the longest time. We never knew what happened to you. But if I could go through you, that means you're a-"

Hyp jerked away and toppled off his feet, crawling backwards in fright. There were gasps from above and Littlefoot's grandparents' stepped back in shock.

"I see her now." Grandpa Longneck breathed. "Only – this shouldn't be possible."

Littlefoot turned and his heart sank as he saw the same thing. Hyp's mother was present, stress having stretched an otherwise gentle face. Littlefoot could see some of Hyp's traits in her eyes and the way she moved. Currently, she appeared a pitiable mix of lost and cornered. She met some of their shocked and confused gazes and looked down on herself. She screamed out. She was transparent and the bushes and trees behind her could be seen as though through thin mist.

"I'm see-through." Hyp's mother said. "That means – not that! No, no, no!"

Losing herself in her grief, she staggered out of the small clearing as though she could deny the truth by running away. That wasn't going to work. Her heart-wrenched sobs attracted the attention of everyone nearby and several gave a double-take at the transparent figure moving before their eyes.

"Are – are my eyes playing tricks on me?" Mr. Clubtail exclaimed. "That's – that's a ghost!"

"No, it can't be," said a female spiketail, stepping back.

"That's impossible," said a duckbill. "What's going on here?"

The calls of dismay attracted more attention, and those who walked over to see what the fuss was about also gasped and gawked, loud expressions of shock filling the air. Littlefoot watched all of this with shame and horror. This was the worst possible conclusion that could happen. He didn't want Hyp's mother exposed but not only had the truth got out but she has become the object of horrified curiosity. Could this situation get any worse?

A second later, he cursed himself for even thinking that question.

"Hey, I see Hyp in those bushes!"

Nod and Mutt were advancing into view from the same direction Littlefoot had arrived. They have been walking around uncertainly, searching for their friend before Nod glanced to the left and spotted Hyp. Mutt looked around, lost for several seconds, before following Nod's eye line and seeing him.

"Oh right, there he is." Mutt said. "Hey, Hyp! What are you doing in the bushes? Me and Nod were looking for you and – what is that?!"

The pair jerked to a stop, catching sight of the transparent figure of Hyp's mother. Several figures had gathered closer to watch, but not enough that Nod and Mutt couldn't see what was going on.

"That – that's a ghost." Mutt stuttered. He rubbed his eyes. "I must be seeing things – but I'm still seeing a ghost standing over there."

"That's Hyp's mom." Nod said faintly. "I thought she ran away from the herd on her way to the valley. If she's see-through…then that must mean – oh no, this is super messed up."

Automatically, they glanced over at Hyp, understanding what this must mean for their friend. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were unwaveringly watching Hyp's mother with incomprehension and horror – horror at the unthinkable situation they were witnessing but there was another kind of horror dawning in their eyes, the terrible realization of what they started. They looked sharply at Littlefoot, who didn't meet their eyes, head lowered in defeat and shame. A crowd had gathered around Hyp's mother, who surveyed them with a matching terror, her arms around her head as though she might dissuade others from watching by simply concealing her identity.

"Leave me alone!" Hyp's mother said. "Stop staring at me!"

"You heard her! She's not some shiny rock. Get back!"

Hyp's father sprinted in and stood in front of her protectively, glaring at anyone who got too close. He turned to put a comforting hand on her shoulder only for it to phase through. He froze and something in him seemed to crack but he when he spoke, it was with a clear voice.

"I should have known something was amiss when you weren't active in the memories I had." Hyp's father said. "You usually make your disapproval known at least with an expression. I don't know how this happened but…"

"I don't know either." Hyp's mother said. "The last thing I remember, I…got ambushed by fast biters. They chased me and the only thing I could think of to get away was to jump into a river. Except it was fast water and I never was good at swimming. I tried to stay afloat but I slipped down and swallowed more and more water until – nothing. The next thing I know, it was like I was always here," she looked at him plaintively. "Why's that not true? I shouldn't have left, I should have tried to make up for my weakness in the valley but now I see that never happened."

"Don't put all the blame on yourself." Hyp's father replied. "I shouldn't have argued with you so much. A part of me could see your points that being harsh to Hyp only went so far but since you couldn't think of other solutions, I thought it was better to stay with the best strategy we had. Out there on that harsh journey to the valley, I felt if the only choices were between hurt feelings and being dead, then I'd choose the first the whole way. I didn't consider the emotional toll our arguing was having on you important. If I did, if I listened and worked with you to parent in a better way, then I wouldn't have drove you -" he sighed. "What's done is done. At – at least we can talk now."

Hyp's mother touched his arm, phantom fingers tracing through the skin with both guilt and silent appreciation.

"I really don't know how any of this is happening," she admitted. "I'm just here. This isn't natural."

"It doesn't matter. You're here, and I'm so glad to have this day," his voice wavered. "I'm sorry we really can't have many more days to fix us."

Silence followed. The onlookers were still reeling, but even among their heavy shock, a solemnity came in. Recognizing a private moment, no one dared say anything. The eyes of Hyp's mother glimmered with the beginning of tears but she sniffled and looked around.

"Hyp, can you come here? I know this is scary but…I really want to see you."

Hyp had been peering out from the bushes, wide-eyed, attempting to remain inconspicuous. He flinched when his name was called and didn't look like he wanted to obey the request. But he slowly slinked out into the open toward his parents. Panickedly, Mutt called out.

"W-wait, Hyp!" he said. "Don't do it! That's a ghost who might, um, will-"

Hyp glared. "Hey, she's my mom! What is she going to do, give me a cold?"

And he marched over defiantly until he stood in front of his mother. His defiance melted into reluctance as he had difficulty staring his mother in the eye. She expressed no such hesitation in drinking him in, smiling fondly.

"Thanks for defending me." Hyp's mother said softly. "Still witty and rambunctious as always but I can't hate that. I wish I can be around to see you grow."

"Then why didn't you stay?" Hyp asked bitterly. "You say you love us but you ran away. Is that really a mother thing?"

"But I do love you." Hyp's mother protested. "I really wanted to stay, I did. But all the fighting, the arguing…it was just too much. I needed some space. It should have been in the valley, I know, there's clearly more than enough room here to do that. But…back then, I was so confused about whether separating from you two was the right decision, I felt like I had to get far away to be able to think clearly. If I was somewhere completely new, I thought, maybe I could think about how to get over my weaknesses, even come back and be a better mother. Before any of that could happen…I died. I'm sorry I was too weak to stay and be a good mother. If only I could think more clearly then."

She lowered her head. Unable to take her shame, Hyp's resentment faltered and he awkwardly looked away.

"Uh, forget about that," he muttered. "Stay now. You're a ghost, right? You can make things up now you can exist forever."

Hyp's mother shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it but…when we realized that I'm a ghost, it uprooted me. I'm going to fade, I can feel it right now. This is really going to be goodbye."

Hyp twitched. "Don't you dare."

"Hyp, she can't help this." Hyp's father muttered.

"This isn't fair! This should be her chance to make up for her screw up and now it's been blown! We won't ever see her again. Will she actually be good at being a mother? Will I like her? Now we'll never really know. Doesn't that make you mad?"

"It does but what can we do?" Hyp's father closed his eyes. "The circle of life…has already begun its turn."

Hyp glared at his father, eyes shining wetly. Abruptly, he rounded angrily on Littlefoot.

"This is all your fault!" Hyp shouted. "If you just minded your own business, this wouldn't have happened!"

Littlefoot jumped, feeling like an arrow pierced his heart. "I'm sorry! I really wanted to leave you guys alone but after I put it all together, I became concerned and-"

"Shut up! Your excuses don't change anything!"

"I just wanted to make sure you were all okay! I mean, I know how you feel, I also lost my-"

"Save us the sob story!" Hyp snapped, "Everyone's heard about it. That doesn't change that you're meddling just ruined my life! You're always do this, you always stick your nose where it doesn't belong and break-"

"That's enough!" Grandpa Longneck said sharply. "Leave Littlefoot be. It's us you should be angry with. If Grandma and I hadn't come, none of this would have happened. Littlefoot would have left you alone."

"Normally, we leave Littlefoot be even if he occasionally acts strangely." Grandma Longneck said. "But today, he acted so strangely, suddenly running off in fear…we felt we had to investigate. We apologize."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck bowed their heads regretfully. Hyp only stared resentfully.

"Yeah, you should be sorry," he said.

"Hyp, please leave them alone." Hyp's mother said tiredly. "It can't be helped. I would have been found out eventually," she welled up a smile. "In fact, if it had been put off any longer, I wouldn't be surprised if you got mad that you were allowed to talk to thin air in front of the whole valley. At least you're pride will be safe. And you won't have the pain of getting to know me only for me to be ripped away again."

Hyp glared at her before some of the anger and defiance crumpled out of him. "This is not fair," he said with a crack in his voice. "It's not…"

"Oh, Hyp…" Mutt said softly.

He and Nod hesitantly crossed the distance. Mutt experimentally tried to put a supportive hand on Hyp's shoulder but Hyp shrugged it off.

"Go away." Hyp said. "I can deal with this myself."

"Sorry." Mutt said hastily. "I just wanted to help."

"I don't need anyone's help." Hyp whirled on the pair, appearing desperate and almost glad to have targets to force out anger on. "Do I look like someone who needs to be patted and carried around? Buzz off, this isn't your business."

"Hey man, we're your friends." Nod protested. "We're just worried about you."

"I'm not someone weak enough to be worried about. Go. You're only making it worse."

Mutt and Nod stepped back, unsure and looking hurt.

"Hyp, you don't need to bear this all by yourself." Hyp's mother said. "Needing help isn't a sign of weakness. It's a normal fact of life even when you're old. Even for someone as hardened as you, this event will be difficult for you to deal with alone. Your friends want to be there for you. I know they might be clumsy about it but that they came close to offer comfort despite their fear of me says something."

"Please listen to her, son." Hyp's father said. "She's right. If I actually considered allowing us to help each other, instead of going it alone, I might have been a happier and less stern father and your mother wouldn't be in the position she is in now."

Hyp didn't say anything but he relaxed and he gave Mutt and Nod a tentative look that showed, even if he wasn't ready to receive comfort right away, he didn't hold their attempt against them. Mutt and Nod gave hesitant smiles, not knowing what they were doing but grateful they were still on good footing with their friend. Hyp's mother looked between her mate and son.

"I hope you can be kinder to each other," she said. "I know you both have your edge and pride but you'll need one another. Life can be so tough, so I want you to be ultimately-"

She staggered, and her mate and son drew close as her form became fainter.

"I'm feeling it." Hyp's mother whispered. "I'm going back. I can't put it off for much longer."

"I still have so much to say." Hyp's father said, trembling. "Please…"

Hyp closed his eyes hard, but some tears still escaped. "Screw this. Just screw everything!"

"I'm sorry." Hyp's mother said sadly. "I didn't want to disappoint you two again but…I'm glad we had this day. At least we got to say some of what we wanted to say. I do love both of you. Good – goodbye…"

She became fainter and fainter, until Hyp and his father were kneeling over nothing but empty air. The pair remained in position, as though absorbing what happened or hoping she might come back. But they returned to their feet and slowly walked off, father's arm around son, eyes closed in grief. Mutt and Nod trailed after them uncertainly, at a loss for what to do other than be an assuring presence. His own vision blurred with tears, Littlefoot stepped forward, to offer some measure of comfort, but Hyp turned away from him. Littlefoot watched them go with guilt racking his chest.

*What's more terrible?* Littlefoot wondered. *Never knowing what happened to your mother or learning about it only for her to be ripped away from you again?*

And as the onlookers broke off into whispers, another question with worrying unknowns came to mind. What did it mean that he encountered another ghost a day after the first?

 **Next time…**

 **Unmentioned Ties Part 1**


	4. Unmentioned Ties Part 1

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **The Analyzer**

 **Chapter 04: Unmentioned Ties Part 1**

The bright circle was sinking to the west when the gathering at the meeting circle took place. The apparent appearance of a ghost in public was the talk of the valley and with so much rumor being swapped about, many wanted to have their facts cleared up on what actually happened. Littlefoot sat near his grandparents as they and other witnesses explained what occurred and clarified any misconceptions. It had been mentioned Littlefoot was present during the incident but his grandparents did their best to skim over any details involving him. His friends were present with their families and they sent him looks of sympathy throughout the meeting. Hyp and his father were conspicuous by their absence. The last anyone heard, they wished to be left alone.

When the eyewitnesses finished talking, there was a lull in the shocked and confused murmuring as everyone digested this information. Then Mr. Threehorn stepped forward.

"So, this is actually true?"

Grandpa Longneck sighed. "I'm having a hard time believing it myself. I can confirm though that my eyes and ears weren't playing tricks."

Mr. Clubtail nodded, face drawn. "Many of us here saw the ghost. She talked and acted just like a real person, except that you could see the other side of the clearing through her."

"And the way she disappeared..." Grandma Longneck trailed off. "Her poor mate and son. They never knew if the rumors about her death were true and for them to be tricked into thinking she was here the whole time…it's horrific."

"How does that happen anyway?" Guido swung his tail nervously. "Ghosts I can get and am scared of. Ghosts that can scramble your brains…I'm going to have even more nightmares!"

"I'm not sure." Grandpa Longneck said. "As long as no one recognized or commented that she was a ghost, not even she appeared to notice. It was only when we said we couldn't see her and poor Hyp went through her that the truth came out."

"Has this happened before?" Mama Swimmer asked. "I haven't heard of anything like this."

"Me neither and word by flyer can get pretty far." Mama Flyer said.

"Maybe this is a one time thing." Tria said comfortingly. "Hopefully it won't happen again."

Littlefoot twitched. It was so tempting to remain silent here and not reveal what he and his friends had been up to. Who knew how the grownups would react? But if there was something more to these incidents, it would be better if everyone had all the cards. He gazed at Cera and the others, who stirred warily, knowing what he was thinking. He pleaded with his eyes, emphasizing how important this might be. After a moment, they reluctantly nodded to his silent request. Littlefoot stole himself.

"No. This wasn't one time. It has happened before."

All attention snapped to Littlefoot, caught off guard by his sudden contribution. His grandparents stared, appearing to have an inkling of what was on his mind.

"Littlefoot," Grandma Longneck said slowly, "is there something you want to tell us."

Littlefoot nodded. "Something happened yesterday. Something very strange. Me and my friends thought we wouldn't have to talk about it but after what happened today…let me start over. It all started when we decided to see some interesting plants…"

He gave an abridged version of their encounter with Ichy and Dil, the horrible chase up and down those maze of tunnels, and the eventual revelation that the sharpbeak was a ghost and the emotional fallout between the predators. When Littlefoot finished, the grownups shifted, many uneasily, some skeptically.

"It was dark." Mr. Threehorn said. "You could have been seeing things."

"Darkness makes things blurry, not see through." Ruby said. "And we could see right through the sharpbeak."

"He not move around much, so we had long time to make sure he was ghost." Petrie said.

"I could smell the bellydragger but no matter how close he sounded, I never picked up a whiff of the sharpbeak." Chomper said.

"He tried to catch me, but he couldn't do it." Ducky said. "He really didn't like me and he could see me, so there shouldn't have been a mistake. But each time, he missed. I could hear him being confused and I was able to get away while he became even more confuseded."

"This is something we can't forget." Littlefoot said quietly. "We might misremember some details but we're all very sure of what we saw."

Spike nodded rapidly. Mr. Threehorn was discomforted by the seriousness of the children. He struggled for words.

"I mean, c'mon, ghosts!" he blurted. "You know how ridiculous it sounds. You can't seriously ask me to watch out for spooks from now on? They don't exist. It doesn't make any sense."

"I know it sounds strange, Topsy." Tria said. "But if both the grownups and kids swear up and down they saw ghosts, maybe we should consider it."

"Daddy, do you really think I'm the type to run around and babble about ghosts?" Cera said wryly.

"Oh course not, dear." Mr. Threehorn said quickly. "It's just – you know. You can't just ask me to believe this nonsense all at once!"

"Whatever our feelings, these events have happened." Grandma Longneck said. "If what you said is true…you poor children."

"You all got in danger again." Mama Swimmer looked at her children with a mix of sadness and reproach. "Oh, when are you two going to play games that are actually safe?"

Ducky cringed. "Sorry, Mama."

Spike also lowered his head, giving a mournful, contrite moan. Their brothers and sisters stared at them with bafflement and concern, glancing and muttering amongst themselves that two of their number had gotten themselves in the middle of such a fantastic event. Petrie glanced away as Mama Flyer watched him with concern.

"Why didn't you fly out and ask us for help when you gave those predators the slip?" she asked. "I'd have gladly followed you in there to give assistance. Our beaks are sharper and stronger than they look, I could have helped distract the bellydragger while you all escaped."

"Me didn't think of that." Petrie admitted. "We just think that if we leave, sharpbeak might follow us into valley where it harder to catch him and he could hurt smaller dinosaurs like my brothers and sisters or Ducky and Spike's brothers and sisters. He sneak up on us lots, so it could happen," he sheepishly added. "We just didn't know he was ghost, so he couldn't hurt anyone."

"It seems you kids didn't know a lot of things." Mr. Threehorn said disapprovingly. "Be thankful that you knew enough. If you didn't…" he shook his head. "I won't go through those thoughts again. Just promise us you'll try to get our help if you get in trouble."

"Unless you have the power to shrink, that might be a hard promise to keep, since we often get in trouble in places smaller than you." Cera said.

"Cera, please, be serious." Tria said. "We just can't stand the thought of losing you without at least trying to do something."

Cera looked at a bit exasperated but upon taking in her stepmother's expression, that changed into something like regret and understanding. Awkwardly, she looked at her father and tentatively shrugged at his stated request. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck examined Littlefoot, noting the bruise on his tail tip with enlightened, concerned gazes. Littlefoot averted his gaze guiltily but they only returned their attention to the rest of the meeting circle attendants.

"We mightn't be happy about what these children got into, but they present important information." Grandpa Longneck said. "This is a new, more personal danger for all of us. Any of us could wake up tomorrow and believe long gone enemies or loved ones still walk among the living. These ghosts might not want to hurt us, but if and when one of us finds out they have been dead all along, it would be emotionally devastating. These encounters aren't good for our mental health. I hope Hyp and his father will be able to recover from this but…from now on, I advise caution from everyone. Most if not all of us have loses that have impacted us deeply. It's not something many have the privilege to not worry about."

Some people around the meeting circle looked at each other nervously. The concept that any of them might be haunted by the mind warping spirit of a lost loved one was deeply unsettling. Bad enough to lose someone. But to have them come back and be made to believe they had always been alive only for them to disappear again was too horrible for some to contemplate. Others shifted their gaze between the ghost eyewitnesses and the rest of the crowd with a strange unidentifiable kind of unnerved perplexment. Mr. Threehorn surveyed everyone's expressions and sighed.

"And I thought your role was to keep calm even during great danger, longneck," he said. "Aren't you two always accusing me of spreading unnecessary panic?"

"We don't want anyone panicked." Grandpa Longneck replied. "To be clear, no one should be snooping around in other people's personal lives and drilling them about what they remember. That will only spread paranoia. Lead on your lives as you always do. However, if you spot anything out of the ordinary, report it to us as quietly as possible. If there's no issue present, we don't want to cause any embarrassment. If there is, well…we want a delicate approach here, one that would resolve the ghost issue as quickly and painlessly as is possible."

"But would quickly be the most painless and correct approach to this problem?" Mr. Thicknose frowned. "Surely, if the ghost is someone meaning to do harm, they should be swiftly dealt with. But if they are a lost loved one like with Hyp's family, perhaps we shouldn't be so hasty."

"But we don't yet know of the emotional or other effects of being in a ghost's presence." Grandma Longneck said. "We shouldn't experiment freely. These are people's lives we are dealing with."

"I agree with Mr. Thicknose." Big Daddy stepped forward. "I'm sure he's aware of your points. And…" he shifted uncomfortably. "Look, if this ghost thing really happened as you say – and putting aside that my brain is having a hard time taking it in – the fact is many have experienced loss where matters and feelings have been left unresolved. If their loved one comes back and this is the only chance to speak to them while we're alive – wouldn't it be better to give the living and dead time to clean up these relationship issues before telling them the truth?" Glancing at his charges, he quietly added. "If I see them talking to thin air and I hear the words 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'…it would be so hard to not walk away and give them as many days together as they need. Not to mention there are people I want to make apologies to. I have sometimes said things I shouldn't have."

"Yes." Mr. Thicknose said, mind elsewhere. "I haven't always been a perfect or kind teacher. It'd be very tempting to ignore the signs something isn't right in order to make amends."

"I can understand both of your sentiments." Grandpa Longneck said, a troubled wistfulness entering his eyes. He shook it off. "But we mustn't let our feelings get in the way of what might be dangerous. If we know this is going on somewhere, we can't stand back too long before interceding."

"Fair point." Mr. Thicknose said, reluctantly pulling his mind back to the present. "Then what do you suggest? For the first few incidents, should we wait a full day once it is known a ghost incident is happening before we intercede?"

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck gazed at each other, the sentiment to make sure people were safe fighting with the desire to make people at least emotionally happy. At length, Grandma Longneck sighed.

"Those are the best conditions we can have with the little we know," she said. "No matter what we do, this is going to be tough for them."

"Yes, one wrongly-placed word might make this weird situation worse for ghost and nonghosts alike." Big Daddy said, concern holding a bit of dryness.

Mr. Thicknose nodded. "This needs a delicate approach, as Grandpa said. Who would be willing to volunteer to break the news to them? I know this is an unenviable task, but this has to be done."

There were several whispers and several stepped back, looking apprehensive about such a duty either because they had to deal with supernatural spirits or the emotional repercussion they might incur if they made a misstep. Some were openly staring at Mr. Thicknose's request, while others awkwardly avoided eye contact with anyone. After many seconds of silence, Mr. Thicknose sighed, looking disappointed but not surprised. He resolutely opened his mouth but Grandpa and Grandma Longneck nodded to each other firmly and stepped forward.

"Very well." Grandpa Longneck said. "Grandma and I volunteer for the role."

The whispers started up again. Littlefoot glanced at his grandparents with concern. Their expressions were a bit sad but resolute. Mr. Thicknose also looked worried.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "This will be a difficult task. You might become dreaded by many you approach even innocently. Even with all the good you do during difficult times for this valley, this might be too much. I can take it, this wouldn't be the first time I've been seen on less than favorable terms."

"Please don't underestimate us." Grandma Longneck said. "We have lived most of our cold times outside the valley and often had to make tough decisions with many groups. This would be far from the first time we've been looked on unfavorably or dealt with those coping with loss. Don't worry, we can take it."

"We aren't perfect with social matters by any means," Grandpa Longneck added, "but at our age we're used to dealing with all kinds of people. Hopefully with that experience, we can minimize any pain this situation will bring. Not to mention," he said quietly, "it might be necessary but we want as few as possible to take on this painful duty our bumbling made necessary. You still have much knowledge and wisdom to contribute, Mr. Thicknose. We don't want anyone to be afraid of you every time you fulfill your teaching duties. We hope that's okay with you."

Mr. Thicknose nodded reluctantly. "I can understand. It'd be hard to teach what I know if people are scared of me. Not to mention, since I'm still not a people person, I'm probably ill-suited for the role. I've improved a lot there, but my manner can still rub others the wrong way and the last thing we need is to upset people further. Nevertheless, I don't like just standing back and letting you do all the work about the ghosts…" he shook his head. "Listen to me, talking about ghosts as if they're normal."

"Yeah." Big Daddy said wonderingly. "I'd be willing to help too with this, erm, condition, but, really…what's this world coming too?"

"I don't know. Hopefully with our efforts, we can find out." But Grandma Longneck smiled gratefully. "And don't worry. If we need help, we won't hesitate to ask you two…or anyone else who is willing to offer assistance." She raised her head to address the general crowd. "If you have any proof that someone has a ghost with them, be sure to report it to us so we might investigate. As far as we can tell, the signs of a ghost involve someone believing a loved one or enemy is back, talking to thin air, feeling coldness at their touch, and not acknowledging they have ever been gone or maybe having an excuse for their absence. Don't approach on your own without permission."

"Remember, we want to cause as little emotional damage as possible." Grandpa Longneck said. "If you press them too hard on the inconsistencies of their version of events, they or the ghost might blurt out the truth, or a loved one might accidentally fall through the ghost. We don't want you or them to have to deal with the fallout without some sort of assistance. Now, if that's clear, I believe all of us can move on for the day."

The crowd nodded and murmured in ascent before they began to break apart into smaller whispering groups. Some went home or back to their other activities huddled together, as though fearing ghosts would wander toward them from the dark ("I mean, I lost my memories." Guido said. "So if someone I knew during that blank time died, that means they can't haunt me, right?") Others left individually or in far calmer, confused groups ("Do you believe what they say, Daddy?" Lizzie asked. "…let me think about it." Big Daddy said.). Whatever their mood, sleep wasn't going to be easy for many that night. While the meeting wrapped up, Cera and the others approached Littlefoot with some concern.

"Hey, you feeling alright there?" Cera asked.

"It not sound fun, discovering someone's mom is a ghost." Petrie said.

"I'm okay." Littlefoot lowered his head a bit. "It's just…I feel like I ruined Hyp's family by nosing in like that."

"You obviously didn't mean to." Ducky said comfortingly. "You were just worried about them. You didn't know your grandparents were going to follow."

"When something happens, it happens." Ruby said philosophically. "Thinking about what you could have done is okay, but thinking about what you will do now is also important."

"We could help you with that, if you want." Chomper suggested. "I know if we had been there, it might have been worse but…"

Spike walked over and gave Littlefoot's leg his best supportive nuzzle, smiling reassuringly. The corners of Littlefoot's lips curved upward.

"Thanks, guys," he said. "I'll consider what you say."

"Hey, you might have to." Petrie replied. "If more ghosts show up."

"Are more really going to show up?" Cera asked doubtfully.

"It's a coincidence now." Ducky said. "Mama talked all about how to know if a pattern's happening. Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three is a pattern." She counted them off with her fingers before looking puzzled. "She didn't say what four or more would mean, but if it happens again, it's going to be a pattern, it is, it is."

"If it does happen again, I hope it won't be as sad as those last two times." Chomper said.

"It's as Ruby said, Chomper." Littlefoot replied. "When something happens, it happens. I don't like it but…if it's going to happen again, we might as well prepare and I'm already thinking about that…"

Littlefoot looked at his grandparents. They were finishing up conversations with Mr. Thicknose and a few other lingerers before turning to leave, glancing back at him curiously. Littlefoot hesitated, and his friends noticed.

"You want to go with them, don't you?" Cera said.

Littlefoot turned to them regretfully. "Sorry. I want to play with you guys, but after what we experienced, I can't leave them."

"Hey, it's no big deal." Cera shrugged. "Our afternoon was pretty much screwed the second that ghost showed up anyway."

"After that, me doubt our parents would want us to be too far away either." Petrie said.

"It's only natural you wish to be with your grandparents after what you all went through, it is, it is." Ducky said. "Go with them. We can always play tomorrow, right?"

Spike, Chomper, and Ruby nodded, eyes alight with understanding. Littlefoot found himself smiling, filled with such warm it momentarily overwhelmed the guilt and fear drifting inside him.

"Thanks. I appreciate your understanding, really." Littlefoot glanced behind him and started walking back. "Anyway, I've got to go. We'll definitely catch up tomorrow, okay?"

There were nods and vocal reassurances. Littlefoot couldn't help but notice Cera gave a little sigh as he said goodbye and observed her join her family, Mr. Threehorn disgruntled and exasperated. She clearly didn't share her father's skepticism of ghosts but she had her doubts about more showing up on the horizon. For one of the few times in his young life, Littlefoot wished she would be right. Maybe these were freak incidents and nothing more would come of them than stories that would be passed on to other places and future generations.

Attempting to wrestle down the doubt in response to that possibility, Littlefoot accompanied his grandparents home. He tried to turn his mind to much more pleasant matters, like the fun he and his friends had today and the pleasant weather the valley had been having lately. Anything that would stave off the nightmares that would surely come from these experiences. Littlefoot was so preoccupied with these thoughts he didn't realize his grandparents' silence was anything unusual until they broke it.

"Littlefoot, we would like to apologize." Grandpa Longneck said.

Littlefoot blinked. "Wait, what?"

"It's about that matter with Hyp and his family. We're…sorry for having decided to follow you."

"We've heard you say many odd things before." Grandma Longneck added. "But you acted so scared about the rumor of Hyp's mother being dead, that you suddenly ran off, and it concerned us. We wanted to make sure you were safe."

"And when you were trying to patch up the situation with that family, we blundered in and made everything worse." Grandpa Longneck closed his eyes. "To have to say goodbye like that, watched like some scandalous story…we should have trusted you more. We should have stayed away."

"No, don't blame yourselves." Littlefoot said quickly, chest aching. "I shouldn't have approached them in the first place. This all got started because I got nosy. I know I should leave others to their own business but when I hear they're in trouble…"

"It's understandable, Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck said. "Don't be ashamed of that part of yourself. It has helped so many people. Even if you often don't bring attention to it, we notice and are quite proud."

"Though there are other things you don't bring attention to that we don't notice." Grandpa Longneck said, eyes flicking to Littlefoot's tail. "You didn't tell us where that tail bruise really came from, or mention the ghost incident. Why?"

Littlefoot lowered his gaze. "I – we just didn't think anyone would believe us. I mean – ghosts, right? You would think we were just making it up, or that there was something wrong with us. We had no idea what any of it meant, so we decided to not tell you about it so you wouldn't be worried."

"So you didn't trust anyone enough to tell the truth." Grandma Longneck said. She sighed. "Sad to say, your concerns were well-founded. I likely wouldn't have believed in your ghost claims if I didn't see them for myself. I wish we would have. I wish we could be trusted enough to be told."

"Though we appreciate you told us now." Grandpa Longneck added. "You knew there was important information connected to today's incident and bravely spoke in front of everyone. It was a commendable decision."

"An experience that huge must have been hard to carry for the last day." Grandma Longneck said. "I know you children have your secrets, and that's okay, but I'm glad you and your friends no longer have to carry something so upsetting alone."

"Yeah…" Littlefoot replied, the memory of yesterday's dream, of his grandparents' unresponsive forms, rising prominently in his mind. He attempted to shake it off. "Well, maybe it would have been better if I told you and you didn't believe me. If you held me back, Hyp mightn't have had to lose his mother all over again."

"Now we don't know that for sure." Grandpa Longneck said. "That kind of illusion might survive for a whole day but it can only be kept up for so long before someone noticed and called it out. Hyp or his father might have accidentally fell through her in their attempt to offer physical comfort or if they saw her walking through any bushes…they would have to be quite lucky to avoid any of that for many days at a time. Still, to have had to say goodbye like that…" he shook his head. "That's another reason why we picked this duty. We want to make up for the mistakes we made involving Hyp's family. We don't know what physical effects these ghosts might have on the living, but we don't want to hurt people. For now, we wish to control the damage that comes with the truth being revealed until we can find out what's going on and either stop it or-" He sighed. "This isn't going to be pleasant. This will be a long several days."

"I'm sorry." Littlefoot said. "I wish you didn't have to do this."

"Don't apologize. We're just doing what is necessary." Grandma Longneck turned to her husband. "Tonight and in the morning, let's discuss how to approach those with ghostly experiences with the truth."

"I agree." Grandpa Longneck nodded. "We should prepare carefully before doing anything. We might still have to learn with experience but better to limit the damage from mortal error."

"I'll help too." Littlefoot said eagerly. "I can accompany you on those missions, help the victims, and-"

Grandma Longneck frowned. "That is very considerate of you, Littlefoot, but you let us handle this situation. It might be best if you stay away."

"We don't wish you to go through that kind of emotional turmoil again." Grandpa Longneck said. "Even after all you went through, you're still a child. We don't want you to see you go through further hard experiences that are unhealthy for someone your age."

"But this will be hard on you too." Littlefoot protested. "Even if you have experience dealing with death, taking on this duty over and over won't be healthy for you, especially since strength fades when you're old and um er, dah-"

He verbally stumbled as he realized too late the rudeness of what he was saying. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck gazed at him, a bit startled for several moments, and Littlefoot cringed guiltily. Then they laughed, voices light with gentle mirth that went on for a bit. Littlefoot watched them with some confusion, not knowing what to think or say. Once they calmed down, they smiled at him.

"Thank you, Littlefoot." Grandpa Longneck said, with a bit of a chuckle still in his voice. "After all the worries of today, we needed that moment of levity. There are times where a child's honesty is the cure we need."

"Don't worry so much." Grandma Longneck said. "We might not be as spry as we used to be, but we are hardier than we look. Our new duty will be tough but we'll survive through it. Have more faith in us."

"Oh, alright." Littlefoot said sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just – I worry."

"We know, and appreciate your concern." Grandma Longneck said, before she and her husband exchanged suddenly twinkling glances. "It's just that sometimes we think that you need reminding that…"

Littlefoot picked up his pace to be closer to their heads, curious. Then he laughed out of surprise as she and Grandpa Longneck suddenly took turns ticklishly poking his sides with their tails

"You – are – not – the – parent – around – here." Grandma Longneck continued, she and Grandpa emphasizing each word with a poke.

Littlefoot squirmed, giggling helplessly as his grandparents gave him some extra pokes to make their point. When they finally relented, he unbalanced and nearly toppled off his feet, his spirits lighter. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck looked at him good-naturedly, smiling.

"I hope we didn't go overboard with that." Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "Just concentrate on being a kid for now. Have fun with your friends and get up to a bit of silliness. It's good for you health. Let us handle this matter."

"Okay." Littlefoot said unsurely. "But it doesn't seem like I'm helping much."

"On the contrary," Grandma Longneck said, "seeing you when we come back, happy and played out, would be a shining light in these strange and terrifying days. Engaging you in games and teasing you will also lift our spirits. It might not seem big to you, but to people as old as us, it's one of the greatest gifts in life."

"If you wish to help us, that would be one way." Grandpa Longneck said. "In a way, you'll be there for us with the emotional aftermath. We would very much appreciate it. Do you understand?"

"Al – alright." Littlefoot then put on a determined face. "I'll do my best to do that then."

His grandparents chuckled, and Littlefoot felt a smile alight his face as they continued their journey home. He was encouraged by their words. If he remained himself, then his grandparents would be all the better for it. He had seen how much he and his friends acting their age drew smiles from their parents, even from the gruff Mr. Threehorn. Coming home to his grandparents smiling from a good day of fun, and possibly engaging them in play as well, made Littlefoot feel warm inside. If that was the most his grandparents wanted from him, that which would make them happy, he supposed he could do that. He loved the joy that came with being a kid and spreading it to even the most senior people he knew.

He tried to ignore the curdling of doubt that even with Littlefoot's support and the strength of his grandparents, dealing with death like this would still put a large amount of stress on them, the kind of stress which could shave years off of their remaining lifespans and make what time they did have left difficult. He also didn't think about how those worries were connected to the dream he didn't tell them about. Grandma was right, it was okay to have secrets, Littlefoot told himself. No one told everything to everyone. His grandparents didn't need to know about this. They had enough worries on their minds. With that in mind, Littlefoot caught up with his parents and attempted to cheer himself up with the thought of making the most of their peaceful evening together before the morning came.

* * *

Tria woke up with a bit less sleep blinking than usual. The bright circle had risen to the point where many valley denizens usually awakened and, after a moment of adjusting to consciousness, she joined them in yawning and stretching. She felt somewhat pleased. She had anticipated the challenges of being a parent but ever since Tricia was born, her sleep schedule had been on a rollercoaster. A lot of times, she felt tired in some capacity and some days she had to get by with no rest at all. But she had been feeling less and less tired as time went on. Even after the disturbances of yesterday, Tria nevertheless felt quite well rested.

*I think I might be getting the hang of this mother thing after all.* she thought. *I don't care as much about the annoyances – they make it all worth it.*

Tria smiled fondly toward where Cera and Tricia slept next to one another. They weren't as close as they used to be but the pair appeared to take a note to be near each other when they rested. They were so sweet to each other and to Tria. Even when Cera was grumbly toward Tria, it wasn't that much different then when she was grumbly to her father and she could be nice and considerate to her stepmother. Tria was glad she could call them her daughters. She looked up and realized her mate was up as well. Ever since she became another pair of eyes to watch their daughters, Mr. Threehorn allowed himself to sleep in a bit more but he had been an early riser for too long to shake it completely. He stared grumpily up at the Great Wall.

"Morning, Topsy." Tria said. "Did you not get a good rest?"

"Oh, what?" Mr. Threehorn said distractedly. "Morning Tria. I slept fine. It's just…this ghost business. They were all taking it so seriously last night. I can't help but think how it's going to have everyone jumping at shadows. This nonsense is going to make the next few days unbearable."

"I wouldn't call it nonsense." Tria replied. "It's not like Grandpa and Grandma Longneck are known for inventing wild tales."

"That's the problem. They are honest to a fault, and ghosts are so…ludicrous." Mr. Threehorn sighed. "It doesn't make any sense in my brain. How can it be true?"

"Unless you see it for yourself, it is pretty hard to believe." Tria admitted, tone wavering momentarily with her own confusion and doubt. "But until I see otherwise, I'll believe them. Don't worry, Topsy. I'll make sure we all find _some_ happiness in these barmy days."

That got a smile out of Mr. Threehorn, and Tria was happy. Whenever she could get her mate out of his grumpy demeanor, it felt like a victory. Then his expression became oddly faraway as he muttered to himself.

"See it for…see you at…" he frowned, as though attempting to call something to memory. "Wait, is it today?"

Tria didn't notice anything unusual. "Cera's probably going to be with her friends as usual and Dinah and Dana's mother has graciously said she and her mate wouldn't mind looking after Tricia for a bit. I was thinking, since that would leave some time for ourselves, we might go somewhere special and-"

"I'm afraid I have something to do." Mr. Threehorn interrupted. "I have to check up on a thing and I only just now remembered it."

"Huh?" Tria blinked. "What do you need to check on?"

"It's something important." Mr. Threehorn looked uncomfortable. "I don't have time to explain. I need to be there quickly. Say morning to Cera and Tricia for me."

And just like that, he got up and moved quickly, disappearing in the distance and leaving Tria bemused. What was that all about? It wasn't unusual for her mate to walk off in various moods and about to accomplish vaguely worded missions but this was so abrupt she was left rooted to the spot.

She was distracted from her worries with several yawns. Cera and Tricia were waking up, stretching and blinking as they took stock of their surroundings.

"Morning, Tria." Cera said. "Where did Dad go?"

"I don't know." Tria replied. "He didn't stick around to explain."

"You mean he left before you woke up?"

"No, he said he had to check up on a thing quick. I couldn't get more than a sentence in before he dashed off."

Cera widened an eye quizzically. "Really? That's strange. What could be the rush this early in the morning?"

"Don't ask me." Tria looked thoughtful. "Though come think of it, he was muttering about if something was today or not. I thought it was only early morning grogginess."

"Today, huh? What's so special about today…"

Cera trailed off. She was suddenly wide awake, glancing at the bright circle as though startled by its existence. She turned to Tria.

"Hey Tria," Cera said carefully, "would it be alright if me and Tricia went out together for the day?"

"Why, of course not." Tria said, taken aback. "But what's this all of a sudden?"

"Well, it's been a while since the two of us hung out. You know how I stick with my friends like tar – sometimes literally…" Cera shook her head. "Anyway, I was thinking we could have a sisters day out to make up for it. Hey Tricia, would you mind spending the day with me?"

Tricia had been biting experimentally on a tiny bush and it took a moment for her young mind to process Cera's question. Then she brightened and all but bounded to Cera, climbing onto her sister's back and attempting to make herself at home there. Cera winced.

"Ouch! Watch where you're stepping. I think you've been hanging around Dinah and Dana too much." Cera returned her attention to Tria. "Is this alright with you?"

Tria looked at the two smiling, expectant faces, and all her confusion was overcome by warmth. "Why, of course. I was thinking you two should spend more family time together. Go on. Just steer clear of some of the things you and your friends get into."

"Don't worry." Cera rolled her eyes slightly but was clearly thrilled by the permission. "Not every day out is a life or death battle. Anyway, see you later!"

Cera trooped off, with Tricia balancing on her sister's frill to give her mother a little wave of farewell. Tria waved back, smiling until they were gone and she was alone. She sighed, more than a little confused.

"Why is everyone in a hurry to get away at the last minute?" Tria wondered to the world in general.

* * *

Mr. Threehorn strolled through the thick trees trying to be discreet and casual. This was difficult to accomplish but he wished to avoid attracting attention and if someone did notice him, he didn't want them to think he was doing anything out of the ordinary. He did feel guilty for having left Tria so abruptly like that, but he didn't have the time to explain and felt the truth of this meeting might upset her. He hoped no one watched him and passed any implicating words to her. Fortunately, the treetops grew close together and he blended with the dim morning light. So far, he didn't come across anyone here. That had been the plan. This forest in the Great Valley wasn't visited often and was the perfect place to meet someone out of public view.

He went to the assigned meeting place, three trees that grew so closely together only a youth like Cera would be able to squeeze between them. There was nobody there but he waited, shifting from one foot to the other and looking about for signs of movement. Was he on time? Could something be holding her up? He attempted to dismiss these worries but it had been so long since they last saw each other and if anything went wrong…

"You're here, Topps. Am I late?"

Mr. Threehorn raised his head and his breath was taken away. Walking toward him was a familiar face, one he hadn't seen or thought about in so long. She appeared to have rushed here to be present on time but she was only slightly breathless.

"Hey, I thought I was the late one." Mr. Threehorn said, averting his gaze. "I only just remembered this morning we were going to meet. So, um…shall we go for a walk?"

His companion agreed to this proposition. Together, the two walked side-by-side through the forest, careful not to get too close to the edge where people might be. There was an awkward silence, a silence for where to start.

"So, how are things going?" The companion asked.

"Things are pretty peaceful." Mr. Threehorn replied. "Once in a while, people get into hysterics over something but, erm, we usually get over it. All things considered, we're pretty happy here."

"This is a good place to raise a family." There was a pause. "How is…Cera coping?"

"She still gets grumbly with me but we always make up. She gets into trouble with those friends of hers but…she's happy."

"I meant how is Cera dealing with a certain absence."

Mr. Threehorn hesitated. "She doesn't talk about it. I can count on one paw how many times she brought you up."

"Does she not talk about it, or do you not bring it up?" she asked, with a touch of resentment.

Mr. Threehorn glanced away. His companion sighed, more directed at herself than at him.

"Okay, that was unfair. This topic is difficult to discuss. Sometimes, the only way to deal with it is to put it off. But it's also difficult…to hear how I'm something that keeps getting put off."

"I do want to mention you." Mr. Threehorn said quickly. "But there seems to be no right time for it. When there is…well, it's hard to find the right words."

His companion paused before she asked. "Do you find the right words with Tria?"

"Tria?" Mr. Threehorn looked momentarily confused before shaking it off. "We, um…I can get quite tongue-tied with her as well, either because of her teasing or…she is very nice and that can make it hard to talk with her about difficult matters or decisions I think we should make. I try to talk more with her but…"

"It seems I'm not only one who is suffering from that," she said fondly, and with traces of relief. "I hope she is treating Cera well."

"She has been good to her. Occasionally, she annoys Cera when she pushes her to try new things but Cera has quite taken with her. They take to bathing in mud pools together every now and then."

"I see." His companion said, with the slightest envy. "She has always been close to you. It's good to hear she has taken to the mother figure this time."

"Cera always favored both of us." Mr. Threehorn replied, aware of his companion's feelings. "There was a bit of difference but it wasn't much. Not to mention, Cera could be closer to Tria but for the past few cold times, Tria has her paws full taking care of Tricia."

"Tricia. Cera's new sister. So," she blew out a breath, "you really got close to this Tria."

"Uh, yes." Mr. Threehorn glanced away. "Since the two of us are now…you know…I thought that would be okay."

His companion took a moment to regain her control before closing her eyes and nodding. "No, you're right. Finding new mates is normal after people find themselves single again. I shouldn't be surprised. I'd have done the same thing except I was, um occupied. Do Cera and Tricia at least get along?"

"Very well." Mr. Threehorn answered. "Cera didn't take to Tricia at first but she's been a very good to her. Tricia is so sweet and curious. They make each other happy."

"Good," she sighed. "At least Cera has some company. It must have been quite a while since she had sisters to play with. Speaking of, have you or her talked about – well, since I'm not being brought up…"

Mr. Threehorn shook his head regretfully. "It's hard to find the right words there too. I know that isn't an excuse but..."

"It's an explanation." There was another sigh. "I know, in a way. I try to be reasonable but even I'm having a hard time not feeling jealous about the new family you made. I thought we would get better at this feelings thing."

"Me too. Every time you think it gets easier, you end up right at the beginning."

There was a thoughtful silence. Mr. Threehorn glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to shake his head. This was a rare time where they could reconnect and it shouldn't be taken up by problems and grievances. There must be happy anecdotes both parties could report on. Maybe later, they could discuss problems, but for now…

Mr. Threehorn forced a smile. "Let's leave all that aside for the moment. How have you been doing? Anything funny you or the girls have been up to?"

His companion gave him a look, knowing exactly what tactic he was using. Still, she returned the smile. "Oh, like you wouldn't believe. Would you like to hear about how we missed the path to here and almost climbed a mountain? The girls and I weren't fans of that..."

Mr. Threehorn nodded, chuckling and relaxing as they started a long day of exchanging funny and heartwarming personal stories.

* * *

"Which shell is the berry under now, Petrie?" Ruby asked.

Petrie scanned the line of snapping shells Ruby arranged before him critically, as though attempting to pinpoint the correct one with the slightest differences in its surface patterns. After a few seconds, he fidgeted nervously.

"Oh, me don't know." Petrie said. "Maybe…that one?"

Ruby obligingly flipped over the shell Petrie indicated to, revealing a green beetle wiggling on its back. Petrie flinched in disgust. Ruby smiled.

"Is this something you want to eat?" she teased.

Petrie picked up the insect for inspection. He turned and presented it to Chomper.

"Me think this for you." Petrie said.

"Oh boy!" Chomper plucked the beetle from Petrie and tossed it into his mouth, chewing enthusiastically. "Thanks, Petrie. This is delicious."

Petrie shakily laughed. "No problem. Me already thought that if me found a bug, it'd be yours."

"I thought that too." Ducky agreed. "You're the only one of us who finds them tasty, you are, you are."

"Looks like you get all the bugs, Chomper." Ruby teased.

Chomper raised his head, grinning. "That's right. I get _all_ the bugs!"

The nasally proclamation elicited good-natured laughter from the others. With the ghostly happenings of the last two days, the gang was determined to make today as light and fun as possible. They were sitting near a pond, Ruby having arranged a line of snapping shells where she hid several foods. The others had to guess the correct food and they were allowed to eat whatever was underneath. Since Chomper and Spike had good noses that might detect what was underneath, it was decided their nostrils should be stuffed with small leaves to level the playing field. The pair not only didn't mind but seemed to find it highly amusing. As their friends laughed, Chomper and Spike caught each other's eye and burst into yet another series of nasally giggles, rocking from side to side with mirth.

Littlefoot spirits lifted at the silliness of his friends, but he had been rather quiet the several hours they had been together. He wasn't exactly depressed but his eyes were lowered in thought and an occasional melancholic tinge entered his gaze. Ducky rolled into Littlefoot's side, giggling up a storm.

"Hey Littlefoot, cheer up," she said. "Don't you find all this very funny?"

"I do." Littlefoot replied, giving her an appreciative look. "I just can't stop thinking about what Grandpa and Grandma might be doing right now. I know they said not to worry about the ghosts but how can I just go off and have fun when my grandparents, who should be enjoying a relaxing day, could be dealing with a ghost right now?"

Ducky patted him sympathetically. "You helped them as best as you could. We told everyone about what happened in the caves, which gave everyone a better idea of what's going on. We did good, we did, we did."

"I know." Littlefoot sighed. "But they were whispering so seriously this morning when I said goodbye to them. Normally, they are relaxed and smiling when I go to meet you guys but to see them so worried, before anything happened…it makes me feel bad."

Ducky tapped her cheek anxiously, silent for a few moments. "Well, being sad is going to give them one more thing to worry about. I know you can't help being worried, but maybe trying to have some fun will ease it up. It might help. It would make everyone happy, but it'd make you happy too, it would, it would."

"She's right, Littlefoot." Chomper said, leaning closer to him. "Sometimes there's only so much you can do. I really couldn't save my mommy and daddy from getting hurt by Redclaw." He looked melancholy for a moment. "It still hurts. I wish there was some way I could have helped them more." He perked up. "But playing and hanging out with you guys cheers me up so much. My parents said they would rest easy knowing I'm taking care of myself in that way and I'm sure it would be the same with your grandparents."

"Eh, eh." Spike agreed, leaning against Littlefoot's other side, his head gesturing to the shell game and the friends around them and smiling up at him. Ducky picked up on his meaning.

"I think Spike's trying to say that playing around with your friends is important too," she said. "Especially since we're not in danger of being eaten or squished or getting hurted in anyway right now. He really likes those times, and I do too. Not only does it mean we're happy, but us being happy can make our parents happy too."

Spike was nodding along to Ducky's words. He looked a little sad Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were taking on such a heavy duty but he nudged Littlefoot encouragingly and smiled for him to enjoy this moment, just like his grandparents wanted. With Chomper, Ducky, and Spike leaning against him supportively, Littlefoot couldn't stop the warm smile crossing his face.

"Okay, okay, I'll try not to be too frowny today. Though that might be hard."

"Hey, with my and Spike's noses stuffed today, it'll be hard to remain frowny, right?" Chomper asked. "Even more so if Cera were here to see."

Littlefoot chuckled. "You two look so silly, she wouldn't be able to resist making some funny comments. I wish we could've found her." He was troubled for a moment, before shaking it off. "Still, with you two like that, it'll be hard to be in a really sad mood for long."

"I know. Me and Spike can't stop smiling and laughing in this state." Chomper said, cheerful nature only momentarily wavering at the mention of Cera. Then he became oddly thoughtful. "You know, I suddenly have an idea of how to really make your sad mood go away…"

Littlefoot suddenly found his friends' comforting contact pressing against him with a bit more strength. He squirmed but found it hard to move as Chomper, Ducky, and Spike grinned up at him with all too much teeth.

Littlefoot laughed. "Oh, no!"

Ruby and Petrie watched with fond grins as Littlefoot was pounced upon, Ducky dashing off to get suitable nose-stuffing plant matter while Spike and Chomper pinned themselves on top of Littlefoot's stomach. As the three wrestled and laughed happily, Ruby turned slightly and pulled the shell that hid the beetle out of view, where she secretly put in another food item.

"Don't feel too bad." Ruby reassured. "Even I don't guess what's underneath right from time to time. It's a game for guessing."

Petrie lowered his head slightly. "But you guess much better."

"I've been doing this with my parents since I've been young. My parents did this with me not only because it was fun, but to help me notice small details that might help me in surviving in the Mysterious Beyond. It has helped me a lot in noticing details, which has helped me a lot with planning." Ruby paused, fiddling with the shell and the food item. "But I don't notice all the details, so my plans don't always go right. I've been in the valley for a while and I still notice details I haven't noticed before. That does make exploring and learning fun, but since part of my reason for coming to the valley is to notice enough details to come up with a plan, that can be a problem…"

"You mean helping with Redclaw?" Petrie asked. At her nod, he continued. "Me sure you definitely come up with plan! You smart, it can happen. Sometime it take time. It took me while to be able to fly. My parents, Uncle Pterano, and brothers and sisters kept showing me ways wings flap to help but me couldn't take it in and was too scared until me with Littlefoot and others. Erm, me think it not take you as long to find plan as for me to fly," he added sheepishly, "but me sure you find plan soon."

"But how soon is soon?" Ruby murmured. "What might be soon for me might be 'too long' for my family and the Mysterious Beyond. My family and others are tough and can survive the Mysterious Beyond, but one of the reasons they sent me and Chomper here was to make sure the Mysterious Beyond wasn't any tougher than can be helped. I need to learn more and learn to strategize so they wouldn't need to live with Redclaw anymore than they already do."

"No worry, you will." Petrie said. "But it kind of like what Ducky and others say. If you have fun, me think that not only make your family more happy but it easier to think than when you worry all the time."

"There's truth to that," Ruby said, "but there's also truth that I have been having a lot of fun in the Great Valley for many cold times and a firm plan still hasn't come to me. Pressure can make you come up with bad plans, but we came up with good plans under pressure too." She looked anxious for a moment before shaking her head and turning to put the shell with the hidden food item down and started quickly rearranging shells.

Petrie felt moved to speak. "Don't worry Ruby, you can do it. You great thinker, at least better than me. You can improve. Me sure you'll come up with something."

"Yeah." Ruby smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Petrie. But don't go knocking your thinking abilities. For how scared you can be, you make some great decisions when danger is at its scariest. You can improve too. You just need to work at it like everyone works at it, and that's how I'll work at it too."

"Oh. Thanks." Petrie curled a bit bashfully, looking still unsure but pleased by the support. "Anyway, let's continue game. Today our fun day, right?"

"Right." Ruby replied. "I shouldn't allow my sad mood bring down the mood of my friends. I want to help make up for the past two downer days by bringing up the mood, especially with Cera not around to make her funny comments," she became a bit wistful. "I wish we knew what she and her family are up to so we can know if she's in an upbeat mood too." Then she shook off the wistfulness and finished rearranging the shells before looking up wryly. "Though it looks like I don't need to help much to bring up the mood."

She and Petrie watched as Spike and Chomper continued to roughhouse with Littlefoot to keep him down. A mischievous grin crossed Petrie's beak.

"Me might actually have idea to fix that worthy of Cera." Then he called out. "Hey Spike, you having turn or not? Me will eat tasty green food Ruby has for game if me only one playing!"

Spike stopped struggling, staring at Petrie and Ruby with some facsimile of horror. Chomper and Littlefoot laughed, and the latter opportunistically struggled out of their hold, almost coming free. Then all of that progress was lost when Ducky came prancing in with small leaves in her hands and the silly sight of her own nostrils stuffed with the same plant matter caused them all to laugh uproarishly, distracting him from his struggle completely. This allowed Spike and Chomper to get an unshakeable grip on him that left him with little hope of escaping as Ducky finally closed the distance. The sight of Littlefoot lowering his head with giggling obedience to get his nose stuffed caused them all to laugh, a most joyful and carefree sound that traveled wide and they found hard to stop.

"Well, at least there's some cheerfulness around here."

The gang turned to find Mr. Clubtail had paused in the middle of walking by, looking slightly awed at their positive attitude. He caught sight of four of them with their stuffed noses and his lips twisted with involuntary amusement.

"You four look ridiculous." Mr. Clubtail said.

"That's the idea." Littlefoot replied, his own nasally voice causing him to grin widely. "Nothing more fun than having something silly in your face. Do you want a turn at it?" he added teasingly.

"I pass." Mr. Clubtail smirked briefly. "I must admit, I'm a bit amazed you children can be so cheerful after what you all went through the past two days. Doesn't it bother you?"

"You mean the ghost thing? Yeah." Chomper admitted. "But that's why we're being so silly now. We can only take so much weird and scary stuff before we need to have lots of fun. Besides, it's what their folks want them to do." He became thoughtful for a moment. "And it's what my and Ruby's folks would probably want us to do if they knew what was happening."

"Huh. I can understand that. After what happened yesterday, I've been trying to find a place to relax where I wouldn't have to think about it." Mr. Clubtail surveyed the group for a moment. "Though where's the final one of your number, Cera? I kind of expected her to be with you lot, snarking about the nose antics you're getting up to."

The gang lost a bit of their energy, glancing at one another unsurely, before returning their gaze to Mr. Clubtail.

"We noticed she didn't meet with us when we met up." Ruby said. "We went to where her family is, since we usually tell each other the reason we can't show up if there's a reason not all of us can, but we found nobody home. We tried to find them at their usual hangout spots, but we couldn't find them there either."

"We did try to look for them at other places," Littlefoot said, "but at some point, we thought Cera and her family might be doing something important and we didn't want to annoy them by barging in asking why she didn't come. Instead, we tried to have fun as normal. We didn't want to waste the day by running around worrying over what's probably nothing. We're still worried about her. Her not saying anything is quite strange."

"Very strange." Mr. Clubtail murmured. He stared at them keenly. "Why do you think she didn't come unannounced?"

"Maybe Cera wanted to have some family time." Ducky suggested. "Cera has said a few times she hasn't been spending as much time with Tricia as she should, she has, she has."

"But why she not tell us about it?" Petrie asked. "We would understand, and say we see her later or tomorrow."

"That's the question." Mr. Clubtail said. "Maybe she's not with you today because her parents don't want her being with kids who claim to see ghosts."

Littlefoot and the others stared at him with surprise.

"You mean Mr. Threehorn and Tria don't believe us?" Littlefoot asked. "But…we were telling the truth! We all saw the sharpbeak ghost in the caves. Lots of people saw Hyp's mother yesterday, you saw her!"

"But not everyone saw her." Mr. Clubtail replied. "Only a small segment of the valley was there yesterday and not everyone believes the claims we made. You were at the meeting, you saw how uncomfortable people were about all the ghost talk. Some might be inclined to believe because trustworthy folks like your grandparents made the claim but that would only further confuse folks who trust them but can't believe in ghosts. They just don't know what to think. Others just believe we ate or drank something funny. With all of that, it's why I haven't found a good place to relax yet. It's hard to kick back and forget yesterday's troubles when people stare at you wherever you go for what you said yesterday."

Littlefoot and the others glanced at each other with concern. Now that they thought about it, they remembered the doubtful and uncomfortable expressions of many of the meeting circle attendants. And that wasn't to mention the stares they attracted while moving about the valley. Littlefoot had vaguely assumed they were amazed his group had gotten themselves involved in ghosts two times in a row and they found that kind of attention uncomfortable. It was part of the reason they based themselves by this pond where not many people passed. To hear those stares likely originated from doubt of their story and even mental capacity only made them even more reluctant to move around in public view.

Mr. Clubtail continued. "Anyway, whatever Tria says, Mr. Threehorn seems to fall under that skepticism camp. Since his daughter is talking about ghosts too, he might want to keep her with the family and wait to see if she gets her 'senses' back." He shrugged. "It's a theory, anyway. Who knows with Mr. Threehorn's mood?"

The others took time to muse worriedly about this possibility. They had little choice with speaking the truth, it was necessary with what happened yesterday, but the concept that it might prevent Cera from hanging out with them was troubling. However prickly she could be, her wit and mischief was a lot of fun and they didn't want to lose that.

"Mr. Threehorn can be harsh and protective," Ruby said, "but from what I know, he isn't that harsh and protective. Is he?"

"He was earlier in our friendship," Petrie said, "but me thought he not like that anymore."

"But it's as Mr. Clubtail said, it depends on his mood." Littlefoot said reluctantly. "One day, he can be grumbly but easygoing, the next, he can be as harsh as the early days we knew him. I don't want to think he'd go so far as to break us up, or that Cera and Tria would let him but he's always been skeptical of amazing things and with this ghost thing going around…"

The gang began to gain such a worried and sad air about them that Mr. Clubtail looked around with some distress.

"Hey, I didn't mean to bring you all down with my blather," he sighed. "I guess I should have kept my mouth shut. I was only curious about what was happening and since Mr. Threehorn has annoyed me before, my jaws started working before my brain and…"

"It's okay, Mr. Clubtail." Chomper said sincerely. "We all make mistakes."

"Some of these thoughts have been worrying us anyway." Littlefoot said. "You only just gave voice to them."

"I guess this ghost business means we try to distract ourselves by talking about other things that are also not fun." Ruby said.

"That might be right." Mr. Clubtail admitted. "Engaging with you kids might be just one way I'm trying to cope with what I saw yesterday. Being around normal death and grief is not fun either, but to have ghosts involved…I came to this valley to live a quiet life, away from that kind of heartache. I knew it can't be avoided forever but I thought if anyone died around here, it'd by old age or sickness, or…" he shook his head. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Nowhere is immune from the Circle of Life's hand."

Mr. Clubtail's statement made Littlefoot remember the sad, resigned words of Hyp's father about the Circle of Life. Something in his stomach curled. Before, mentions of the Circle of Life brought some comfort to Littlefoot when dealing with potential or actual loss. Now, though…Chomper shook himself from the grim mood.

"That offer to stuff your nose still stands." Chomper grinned. "I think hearing your voice going all funny with that might actually cheer you up."

"As weirdly tempting as that offer might actually be," Mr. Clubtail said, causing the gang to laugh heartedly, "I'm not keen on others thinking there's something really wrong with me after claiming I saw ghosts. Right now, I'm just in the mood to kick back, eat some treestars, and let the bright circle rays bake my worries away."

"Have fun doing that." Ruby said. "As I know from the mud pool visits, relaxing can be quite fun in and of itself."

"You should try that sometime, having a quiet life. No wait, quiet is too much to expect from children." Mr. Clubtail smirked briefly. "Ordinary. Yes, I meant an ordinary life. It's actually pretty great."

Littlefoot laughed. "We try. We love ordinary life. It's just that people sometimes gets in danger or there's something fascinating nearby, so-"

"I know." Mr. Clubtail rolled his eyes, but there was a bit of fondness there as he began to leave. "See you around, kids."

The gang waved back as Mr. Clubtail vanished through a set of trees. They fell silent as they turned their conversation with him over in their heads.

Petrie sighed. "You think what he say true? Cera's dad is keeping her from us?"

Littlefoot shook his head. "I don't know. This ghost thing is new for everyone. They could be away for all sorts of reasons."

"Maybe the reason they are away really is for family time." Ruby suggested.

Chomper nodded. "Maybe her dad said she was having family time with them, and that's final. But I don't know…Tria is nice, she would say Cera should be allowed to explain it to us."

"Well, why don't we ask Tria?" Ducky asked.

"We can't." Petrie said. "She part of family, so she would be having family time wherever they are."

"But she can't be with them right now, because she's standing over there. Look."

Ducky pointed and the group followed her finger to find Tria munching on a bush. Littlefoot and the others stared. This only added a further complication to the mystery. Bemused, they abandoned their shell game to approach her. She chewed slowly and her eyes were far away with thought, so she didn't notice the kids until one of them spoke up.

"Excuse us Tria," Chomper said, "is something wrong?"

Tria roused. "Oh? Hi kids. No, not exactly. It's just –" She turned as she talked and stared. "What do you kids have on your faces?"

Ducky giggled and tapped his nose leaf. "Oh, just some small leaves. Funny, isn't it? We just felt like being silly today."

Tria smiled. "Yeah, you kids deserve that, after what you've been through. As for the question..." she sighed. "There's nothing wrong exactly, just…things have been weird."

"Where's Cera?" Ducky asked.

"She and Tricia went off for a sisters' day out. She kind of sprung it up out of nowhere but I couldn't say no."

"So, sisters' day out instead of family day out." Ruby said. "We weren't far off."

"It's still strange she hasn't said anything." Littlefoot said.

Ducky, meanwhile, was looking around. "Hey, where's Mr. Threehorn? Aren't you two usually together?"

"He seemed to decide he also needed a day out." Tria replied. "He wanted to check on something important and didn't give any more details before he all but ran away from the nest. I knew when I joined this family I would encounter some strange things but…" she shook her head. "Sometimes I forget how strange it can be."

"If it's any help, this sounds pretty strange to us too." Littlefoot said. "If they had some special family thing they wanted to do, I thought they'd tell you about it."

"I don't know if what Topsy's doing is a family thing but..." Tria frowned. "You're right. At least Cera would have mentioned something to you. Sometimes they do other stuff without me though…"

"Me do not always see you around Cera and her dad." Petrie said.

"I need to look after Tricia. She's precious but a handful. Topsy is a doting father but there are times when he wants to take a break or give a problem his undivided attention. He does his best to spend time with her and give me a break from parenting but at the end of the day…" Tria sighed. "Sometimes it's hard to stay close."

The group exchanged unsure looks.

"Um, Tria…are you and Mr. Threehorn doing okay?" Ducky asked tentatively.

"Why, we're doing fine." Tria said quickly. "This is far from the first time I've been in a relationship – well, it is in terms of having a child and becoming a mother. However, I've been through enough relationships to know when things might be going downhill. This isn't it."

"You can have more than one relationship?" Chomper said curiously.

"It's part of the learning process of finding a mate. You learn how to get along and talk with each other. It doesn't always work out your first, second, or even third time, so you keep trying until you succeed. When you find the right mate you'll spend the rest of your life with, nothing can be more rewarding," she sighed contently.

"But," Petrie said, "not all mates stay mates."

Petrie appeared to be talking more to himself the others but his words had an effect. Tria became oddly still, as though being drawn to a troubling thought. The others glared at Petrie.

"Why did you have to say that?" Littlefoot hissed.

"What did me say?" Petrie said blankly.

"She thinks you might be talking about Mr. Threehorn." Ducky said.

"Huh?" Petrie's momentary confusion gave way to horrified clarify. "Oh! Me take back what me said."

The others sighed. Ruby approached with her arms waved out in a placating manner.

"Is today your hatch day or some special day for you?" Ruby said. "Maybe he has a surprise waiting that will make today even more special to you. I'm sure it's nothing like a bad surprise, right?"

"Today's not special but…" Tria shook herself firmly. "Maybe you're right. I'm clearing this up before anyone jumps to any conclusions. I'll find Topsy and make him explain himself. These suspicions aren't going to rule me."

"How are you going to find him?" Chomper asked. "Maybe we can help."

"Oh, don't let me disturb you all with my wild fancy." Tria smiled reassuringly. "Just go back to you're fun and I'll take care of this. I'm going to follow the direction he took. Tracks can disappear fast around here but maybe I can ask around so I can track him down. Enjoy your afternoon, kids."

Looking much more confident, Tria turned and walked away. Littlefoot and the others watched in confusion.

"What do you think is going on?" Littlefoot asked.

"Maybe they got into a fight she didn't know about." Ducky said. "Though I hope not. That would be sad, it would, it would."

Ruby brushed her chin. "My parents say fighting is a normal part of relationships. They sometimes fought about where it was safe for me or my siblings to stay that would be safe for the whole family to stay. They said that a good relationship finds a way to work out the fighting."

"That explains my mommy and daddy." Chomper said. "Sometimes they get so angry they look ready to fight each other but the next thing I know, they are nuzzling and forgiving each other. It's weird."

"What do your parents fight about anyway?" Petrie asked.

Chomper shrugged. "Whose fault it is when prey gets away. If I'm eating the right meat. That sort of stuff."

"Oh." Petrie said, slightly nonplussed. "Me should have expected that answer."

"It still doesn't answer what's going on with Tria and Mr. Threehorn." Littlefoot said. "They may or may not be fighting. We don't seem to have a way of knowing."

There was a thoughtful pause. Chomper raised a hand.

"Why don't we ask Cera?"

"That good point." Petrie agreed. "If anyone know, she know. She might explain things to us."

"I think we can track her down easily enough." Littlefoot said. "We didn't exactly use Chomper and Spike during our earlier search. With those two, I'm sure we can find her soon."

"But I don't think we can do it now." Ducky said, glancing at the sky. "The bright circle's moved past the middle point. Which means that any moment now, we're going to be called by-"

"Littlefoot…Littlefoot!"

"Ducky, Spike, it's lunchtime!"

"Petrie, return to the nest!"

Littlefoot and the others cringed at their parents' voices. In their shenanigans and worries, they had lost track of time.

"Guess we can't find Cera now." Littlefoot sighed.

"We'll find them when we come back again later." Ruby said reasonably. "That won't be too long, and finding them won't take too long either."

"But should we not take too long to find them?" Ducky said hesitantly. "I mean, this – this is Cera and Tricia's sister time, remember? Should we interrupt it?"

There was a guilty silence. Ruby nodded sadly.

"Cera has spent a lot of time with us, so it's fair she should spend a lot of time with her sister. Maybe we shouldn't be too quick to find them. I mean, I wouldn't be really mad if you guys came to me during my family time, but I'd be sad that my time with my family got taken up by other stuff."

There was a trill of guilt in Littlefoot's chest. He somewhat knew how she felt. He could only see Bron and Shorty for a few days every cold time and whenever that was interrupted, he felt regret they couldn't spend more time together. Of course, Cera's situation with her family was nothing like Littlefoot's or Ruby's. Nevertheless, Littlefoot couldn't help feeling he and the others should stay out of this. Everyone had enough to worry about without having a wild goose chase over whether Cera's parents were even arguing in the first place. It would only upset Cera and Tricia. Sometimes, it was better to leave well enough alone.

Even as he thought this, Littlefoot's instincts resisted. If there really was a problem, he wanted to check on Cera and Tricia to make sure they were okay and offer help if needed. Better to be cautious, just in case, he thought. But how to do that without interrupting the sisters' day? He was stumped. Before he could think too deeply, Petrie brightened.

"Maybe we can find them but not speak to them." Petrie said.

"What do you mean?" Ducky asked.

"I mean, when we back together later, we can find them but we don't have to talk to them, not right away. We just let them have their sister day until they're done and then we talk to them."

"That's a good idea." Ruby said. "We don't have to worry them until they have time to be worried and then we can talk about their worries."

"It does solve a lot of problems," Littlefoot frowned, "but I don't like the thought of just stalking them. They should have some privacy."

"Maybe once we find them, we can just listen but not look until they're done." Ducky suggested. "If they're sister time goes on too long, we can go away and find them again later with Spike and Chomper's help. That would give them some privacy, right?"

"That does sound reasonable." Littlefoot said, still looking uneasy. "Still..."

"Littlefoot!"

Littlefoot and the others jumped as his grandparents called again with increased insistence. He shook his head.

"Alright, we'll go that route." Littlefoot continued. "We'll meet up later and sniff for Cera. I hope you and Spike would be ready for this, Chomper."

"Sure we will, Littlefoot." Chomper said, eager to help. Tracking down people and things with his nose was one of his favorite activities. He gave a bit of a chuckle as he glanced at Spike. "A sniffer's work is never done, huh Spike?"

"Eeh." Spike said agreeably, amused by this fact.

Shaking his head fondly, Littlefoot said. "Anyway, I'll see you all this afternoon."

"Yeah, see you." Petrie said.

Everyone was in the process of bidding farewell and separating into different directions when Ruby noticed something amiss.

"Wait," she said. "Aren't any of you going to pull those leaves out of your noses?"

They all stopped. Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike, and Chomper looked and felt at their stuffed nostrils before they aimed silly smiles at one another.

"Nah." Littlefoot said. "My grandparents said seeing me come home after having a good day of fun would lift their spirits and nothing will lift their spirits more than seeing me like this."

"Yep, yep, yep." Ducky giggled. "Looking at us with our noses stuffeded is sure to make Mama and our brothers and sister laugh, and make them less worried, right Spike?"

Spike closed his eyes and nodded eagerly. "Eh-heh, eh-heh."

"I just think this is funny." Chomper chuckled. "I want to be like this for a while longer."

Ruby smiled wryly. "Though maybe not for too much of a while longer. I can't see it being fun or comfortable having your sniffer stuffed all the way up until it's time for you to sniff for Cera."

"Hey, I can take it." Chomper insisted. "Besides, it'll be fun to hang out and look for food with a weak sniffer like most of you leaf eaters for a change."

This caused most of the others to laugh, sticking their tongues out or rolling their eyes in mock-reproach. Giggling and with much improved spirits for the day, they finally went off in different directions, Ruby and Chomper to sate their appetites and enjoy one another's company, the others to spend good, hopefully ghost-free, time with family.

 **Next time…**

 **Unmentioned Ties Part 2**

* * *

 **Note:** Sorry I couldn't make a August posting. I was tired and exhausted, and editing became difficult, so I took most of a week off. It got me back on track, so the part 2 will hopefully be posted nest Sunday.


	5. Unmentioned Ties Part 2

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 05: Unmentioned Ties Part 2**

Earlier that morning, Cera marched through the field in a pleasant state of mind. Normally, it would take sitting in warm mud or accomplishing a life threatening task to get her into this much of a good mood but something special was going to happen today and she couldn't wait to share it with Tricia. Her sister remained on her back, head flicking around to whatever caught her sparky interest. Occasionally, she waddled about and made coos of curiosity and Cera laughed as those little feet tickled her back.

"Stay in one place, okay? You don't want to fall and bruise your front leg again, do you?"

Tricia stopped moving and gripped Cera's frill with her forelegs, instantly becoming a model of propriety. Cera smiled, pleased. It wasn't always easy having her listen but the memory of having scraped her foreleg was apparently still unpleasant enough that she wasn't eager to risk a repeat. She was a bit of a handful, but Cera didn't mind that with Tricia. There was something about her open, innocent nature that put Cera at ease. She could be honest with someone who couldn't yet be judgmental of her, and Cera valued that. She only hoped the people they were going to meet would also be receptive to Tricia. Cera felt a fumble on top of her neck and realized Tricia was looking back unwaveringly in the direction they came.

"Sorry Tricia, Tria can't come along." Cera said. "It won't be a sisters' day out if the mother is along, right? Besides, it might be best she stayed behind…"

Tricia looked down and mumbled, noticing Cera's change in demeanor. Cera averted her gaze nervously as she walked.

"Listen, can you keep a secret?" she asked. "I'm about to introduce you to some very special people. This must be kept from Tria because this could upset her. I know she's the nice sort who wouldn't hold anything against them, but seeing them back might still make her sad. Can you do that? I know you like to imitate what other people say but can you try not to do that with the people we're going to meet?"

Tricia merely continued glancing down from Cera's frill, bemused. She clearly had trouble comprehending what Cera said. What Tricia could get out of it was that her big sister was behaving very oddly today and she stared at Cera as though asking for clarification. Cera sighed and muttered under her breath.

"Right. Don't speak for too long." Cera raised her voice. "Look, just don't tell this to Tria, okay? It'll make everyone happier. Agreed?"

Tricia still appeared confused but settled down with a warble of assent. Cera would probably have to remind Tricia again but maybe the next few minutes shall clear her confusion up soon enough. She felt guilty for being secretive around Tria about this but she didn't want to upset her. After their many cold times together, she was really attached to her stepmother and didn't want to choose any family member above another.

She reached the set of thickly clustered trees that signaled the end of the field. There was enough leaves to cast darkness and Petrie would have thought twice about going there. That area might have made Tricia nervous as well but fortunately the pair didn't need to enter there. Three figures could be glimpsed standing on the small forest's edge, details obscured by shadow but their shapes so recognizable to her. Cera's heart leapt.

"Hey. Hey!"

Cera galloped forward and the three figures noticed her approach. They also moved quickly to meet her. At the middle, they stopped and drank each other in, aglow with delight.

"Took you long enough to show up!" said one of the figures.

"Nice to see you again too." Cera said. "Man, it's feels like forever since we've been together. How long ago has it been?"

"Since before you made it to the Great Valley." said the second figure.

"That long? Then it really has been forever! What have you all been up to?"

The four devolved into eager chatter, recounting the amazing or amusing things they have seen or done. Cera was vaguely aware Tricia was staring at the trio but she was so focused on boasting, and teasing, and catching up, it didn't bother her too much. At length, one of the girls noticed Cera's passenger staring at them and raised her eyes to look at her.

"So is that Tricia?" she asked. "Wow, she's tinier than I thought."

"Hey, she's still a baby. She was born only, well…" Cera trailed off, frowning. "Anyway, it's pretty recent. I thought she would like it if she got to meet you guys."

"Are you sure she won't blab us to your new mother?" said another girl suspiciously.

"No Holly. She only knows a few words and my name is the one she likes to use the most." Cera raised her head proudly. "Needless to say, I seem to be her favorite."

Holly didn't appear totally convinced but softened a bit as another of the girls got closer to Tricia, bright-eyed and keen.

"She is a cutie." The second girl said. "I like her."

Cera rolled her eyes. "Of course she's cute, Rita. All babies are cute. It seems to be their job. And can you back off? You're scaring Tricia."

Reluctantly, Rita stepped back while the final as yet named girl considered Tricia fondly.

"Have you told her who we are yet?" she asked softly. "She must be a bit confused about why we look so much like you. It might be best to tell her now."

"Yeah Duane, I think it's time for the surprise to be revealed." Gently, Cera lowered Tricia from her back. "Tricia, these girls are Holly, Rita, and Duane. They are my sisters – and they are yours too."

Once again, Tricia didn't appear to know exactly what Cera was saying, but she stirred at the word, "sisters." She stared from Holly to Rita to Duane with amazement as her young mind put the pieces together. She glanced at Cera and back to the trio, her confusion clearing a bit but not by much. She still appeared baffled by something but Cera shrugged it off. When you were that young, being confused by things was to be expected.

"Don't worry, they're harmless." Cera reassured Tricia. "Well, maybe Holly can be a bit stern and Rita careless but they aren't so bad. And they're not from Tria. They're from my previous mother I mentioned before but that doesn't make me any less your sister, or them too. Anyway, look on the bright side. We're around the same age, so it would be like playing with four of me. C'mon, it'll be fun."

"I wouldn't consider playing with four of you fun." Holly said dryly.

"Quiet, I'm trying to persuade our littlest sister here. So what do you say, Tricia? Want to play with us?"

"Yeah, want to play?" Rita asked.

"We wouldn't mind you bopping around a rock with us." Duane said.

Tricia looked uncertainly from one sister to the next, each eager or encouraging. Even Holly managed to work up a friendly expression.

"What games does she like?" Holly asked. "Maybe if we play them, she'll decide to join in on her own."

"Let's see." Cera frowned. "She likes to run and roll around a lot. She likes to touch and play with people's horns and feet. There's not many games she knows the name of, which leaves us with…"

A slow grin came across her face. She locked eyes with Tricia for a moment before gently bobbing her nose to hers.

"Tag, you're it!" Cera declared. "Come and catch us!"

Laughing, Cera and her other sisters fled from Tricia, making sure not to be too quick and stay within Tricia's sight. Tricia continued to stare, watching Cera and her sisters weave around each other in silly patterns, working off energy in the silliest of ways. Their faces were alight with delight.

Slowly, Tricia smiled and gave chase, attempting to tag Cera and any of the others she could reach. Cera jumped over Tricia before she could touch her, Duane nearly collided with her and doubled back, Rita hopped around her while giggling teasingly, and Holly ran circles around her until she was dizzy. Catching them was easier said than done, but Tricia didn't care. She was having as much fun as her sisters and wasn't interested in ending things any time soon. Tricia couldn't bring up much thought at her age but at the moment, all she could think of as she ran with the other girls was how amazing Cera was to have sisters like these.

* * *

Tria stalked around, surveying the forest she walked beside. Tracking down Mr. Threehorn had been somewhat difficult, since anyone who might have seen him wander by didn't stick around in one location. Still, she was able to find enough people to talk to on the direction Mr. Threehorn took to be able to sniff out his route. Now she observed these closely knit trees for any sign that someone had entered them. Some tracks lasted longer than others and in a Great Valley populated with many large dinosaurs, these signs could blur together and vanish quickly. The grass and earth around here was mostly undisturbed. Apparently, not many were keen to hang around in these woods. So why would Mr. Threehorn be here?

She was so occupied with finding clues she didn't even notice the rumbling steps of someone approaching until she bumped into him. Grunting, Tria stepped back as she heard a strangled sound of consternation. Mr. Threehorn had just emerged from the trees and was looking at Tria with startled eyes.

"Topsy, there you are." Tria said. "I've been looking all over to find you."

"T-Tria." Mr. Threehorn stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

"You were acting so strangely this morning. I'm wondering if you're alright." Tria looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing in there?"

Mr. Threehorn averted his gaze. "I'm – I'm just meeting with an old friend. They don't like to be seen around in public, that's all."

"What kind of old friend? Do you mean Verter? He didn't strike me as the type who avoided attention."

"I met other people since I last saw you. You would be surprised at the variety I associated with."

"Then why didn't you briefly explain who you're meeting with instead of being vague and running off like that?" Tria demanded. "You're not telling the whole truth, Topsy. You were never good at fibbing. Please, tell me. I can take the truth. What are you doing?"

"Don't I have a right to some privacy?" Mr. Threehorn asked. "We might be mates but I don't interrogate you about your secrets."

"This isn't some ordinary secret." Tria said. "You weren't acting as though you were about to have a private mud bath or anything like that. It's as though you had an urgent meeting that you only just remembered and you're desperate to make sure I don't find out about it."

"That's because you wouldn't understand." Mr. Threehorn muttered. "It would only upset you."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a little girl!" Tria snapped. She took a deep breath. "You can trust me, Topsy. I'll listen to your explanation. We are both grownups. We can communicate, can we? I just want to head off any misunderstandings before they get blown out of proportion. Can you do that for me?"

Mr. Threehorn's defensive defiance turned into indecision. His face reflected the mental battle that followed. Tria waited, impatience starting to cold her chest. At last, something in him seemed to give and he sighed.

"Alright I'll tell you." Mr. Threehorn said. "Later, when the bright circle sets. I'm still in the middle of the meeting. But…let me be clear, Tria. I'm loyal to you. I always have been and always will be. Don't let anything you learn change that."

"That isn't very reassuring." Tria replied. "What's so bad about telling me now?"

"Because I need time to compose myself." Mr. Threehorn sighed. "Once this is done, I'll explain everything. Just wait patiently. I'll be there for you."

Tria held his gaze for several moments before she had to look away. "Okay. But you have a lot of explaining to do once this is over."

Mr. Threehorn nodded solemnly, and continued on his way toward a nearby pond. She glimpsed that several leaves had fallen on his back while he had been in the forest. The sight stirred up the memory of Tricia riding Cera that morning and she found herself talking.

"Are Cera and Tricia there with you?"

Mr. Threehorn turned and glanced at her in surprise. He considered answering her question before shaking her head.

"No. I haven't seen them since this morning. But I think they might be playing nearby, with – I'll explain when this is over."

And then he went over to the pond, had a long drink, and returned to the forest without looking at her. Tria stayed where she was, attempting to puzzle out what just happened.

*What can be so important that it can't be mentioned now?*

There were many details floating in her mind now. They had appeared distant and disconnected but there was clues in there. Dispassionately, as though her brain was separate from her body, it began to piece things together. She remembered Mr. Threehorn's sudden morning change in behavior; Cera proclaiming she and Tricia shall be having a "sisters' day" out; Mr. Threehorn expressing his faithfulness to her; his shot in the dark guess about Cera and Tricia's whereabouts and who they might be playing with; and a warning, an word of caution as to what to watch out for. Tria hadn't thought much about last night's meeting today but it came to the forefront of her mind and all of these separate observations got connected. Cold shot through Tria's heart and she stepped back.

"Oh, no," she whispered.

Turning, she ran as fast as she could in search of Grandpa and Grandma Longneck.

* * *

Cera was out of breath by the time the sisters were too tired to play tag. They had run all over the place, dodging Tricia and teasing her to keep going. Tricia put all the energy she had in catching Cera and the others. She hadn't cared in the slightest that she had trouble tagging any of them. The youth merely reveled in the thrill of the chase and being in the presence of family that made her laugh. She eventually did tag Cera but then her big sister turned around with a big grin and fulfilled her tagger role with all the exuberance of someone who can indulge in playing the role of villain. The role of tagger switched between Cera and Tricia as the morning turned to afternoon, but Holly, Rita, and Duane were always too quick for them. It had been a good expense of energy and the sisters enjoyed the opportunity to rest.

With the bright circle in the noon position, they laid on their back or stomachs in the open sunshine, soaking in the comforting heat. Exhaustion filled their forms. The only movement of note came from Tricia, who giggled and rolled out of the way as Rita contently attempted to catch her with her forepaws. Holly rolled onto her chest, finally at ease, and lazily flicking a thumb between two blades of grass.

"It's great to do this again." Holly admitted. "Playing without you was a lot more boring."

Cera raised her head, pleased. "I bring in the necessary excitement for a game. I'm sure some of my friends might be surprised by me saying that but…"

"You have friends who are more exciting than you?" Rita said. "I must meet them."

"Hey, none of them can beat me. They don't have my wit or brain."

"I've seen only a few with a wit or brain like yours." Duane observed.

"Well, I wish we can be in the presence of your brain and wit more often." Holly said. "Too bad things didn't work out with our folks."

Cera nodded sadly. "I wish they could have talked it out but Dad is stubborn. He can be a pain in the tail sometimes."

"Mom is no slouch at stubbornness either." Rita replied. "If you could hear how she tried to look for you after the earthshake. She was really desperate."

"She was upset when she could find no way to get to your side." Duane added. "We all were."

"And when she said we should go with the mixed herd, Dad got upset and…" Holly sighed. "You know what happened."

Cera shook her head. "It took forever to get Dad to tell me what happened. He could rant and rave forever about something he doesn't like but when it came to you guys, barely any word came out of him."

"That's our dad." Rita said. "Not very feelsy is he?"

"Hey, he's not that bad." Cera said defensively.

"I'm not saying that's bad. He's funny when he tries to be soft." Rita rolled over.

"I like it when he's funny." Duane giggled. "It's better than when he's mad." She stopped smiling. "They both tried to work it out. Really. But it wasn't enough. Things could have been better but…too late now."

Cera shifted uncomfortably. Thinking about what could have been, the fun family times that were now not possible, ached deeply in a way no surface pain ever could. Among this pain though was a spark of confusion. She felt a bit fuzzy about the details of her parents' conflict and how they exactly failed to make up but she didn't give those questions much focus. Her mind quailed away from the aching feeling, old and oddly intense, and shut it away. There was no use thinking such thoughts. Littlefoot made due with his limited time with Bron and Shorty. She could do the same. The only issue was when and how often Cera would be able to play with her sisters again.

"So, will you visit again?" Cera said casually.

"We're not sure." Holly said vaguely. "Mom just decided it was time to check up on you guys. Who knows when she'll decide it's the right time again."

"It depends on what this Tria person thinks too." Rita remarked. "Sooner or later, you'll get caught when you're doing something sneaky. That's just the way the circle of life works."

"I'm sure it'll work out." Duane said. "From what we hear, Tria seems nice. Even if she might be uncomfortable about Mom, she'll be okay with us hanging out, right?"

"I'm sure. Still, I didn't want to cause her any pain by suddenly announcing I'd be meeting up with my other mom and…" Cera trailed off. "Wait, how do you know about Tria and Tricia? Isn't this our first time talking and – hey, how did we plan this meeting if we never talked before?"

"Uh..." For a second, Holly was blank. "Mom communicated by flyer. Yeah. Different Herds interacting with each other is also becoming the norm in the Mysterious Beyond and she changes with the times too. I can't believe you forgot that."

"Oh. Oh, right." Cera nodded distractedly. "What's wrong with me? I forgot about our meeting this morning too. I must have been too tired when I got up to remember."

"You are so like Dad." Duane said good-naturedly. "Hopefully you will remember next time we meet."

"I hope Mom and Dad are getting along enough now that there'll be a next time…" Rita said.

Tricia looked among the sisters, having sensed the mood had gone uncertain and forlorn. Discontent, she got to her feet and babbled, repeating the same sound questioningly.

"Huh?" Cera said. "What is it, Tricia?"

Frowning, she made the sound again, fine tuning it into something a bit more familiar but still unintelligible. When Cera and the others continued to look blank, Tricia tried to say the word again.

"Wha – Wer…Where!" Tricia jumped, delighted by her accomplishment, and repeated the word. "Where? Where?"

"Where what?" Holly asked.

"Where?" She jutted her horn toward Holly, Rita, and Duane. "Where?"

"Oh, I think she's asking where you live when you're not with us." Cera said. "Good question, Tricia. Where have you all been staying, anyway? Why didn't you just remain in the Great Valley?"

Duane appeared uncomfortable. "Mom said she needed space after the breakup. Even with being in a place as big as the valley, she didn't want to risk the chance of running into him again. As for where we are…"

"We're in some place that's much smaller." Rita continued uncertainly. "We never caught the name of it but we don't need to worry about eating and sharpteeth don't seem to like coming around there."

"So, is this some mini-valley?" Cera asked.

"It's kind of hard to describe." Holly averted her gaze. "But it wasn't very far from here."

Cera frowned. True, there were a few green places outside the valley where even a herd can eat comfortably without worrying about going hungry but ones that sharpteeth couldn't access? She shoved the thought away before she could examine it. Holly might have been referring to a place a bit farther off, one she and her friends hadn't come across. Oh well. If she and her friends stumble into the Mysterious Beyond yet again, they could visit that place. It would be amusing to picture the sight of their faces. There was nothing unusual about her sisters' reactions to the question at all.

"Right." Cera shook herself as she got to her feet. "All of you rested up? I still have much playing I want to do."

"Been waiting for someone to say that." Rita said eagerly, jumping up.

"Good thing our parents chose this field as out meeting place instead of any place with not a lot of room like that forest or…anywhere near a cliff." Duane suppressed a shudder. "We can run and play almost anything we want here."

"Then we'd better get playing." Holly followed her sisters' lead. "Let's teach Tricia about the many kinds of fun that can be had out there, especially with many sisters."

"You just read my mind." Cera smirked. "What do you say, Tricia?"

Tricia hopped into a standing position, tail wagging. Heartened by her eager anticipation, Cera and her fellow sisters plotted how to let her have fun in the way that would delight them all.

* * *

Littlefoot walked with his friends, having a hard time keeping his attention on the search for Cera. It took a bit longer for them to reunite than expected. After hearing of their involvement with the ghosts, the families wanted to spend more time with their children, claiming it to be for the gang's benefit but Littlefoot suspected it was also for their own. The gang didn't have the heart to refuse and some part of them went along with this.

Littlefoot had to admit, he loved being with his grandparents for that length of time, though there were details that meant he wasn't always happy. It all started on a good note, when he came galloping in and they got a good glimpse of his face.

" _Oho, what is that you have in your nose?" Grandpa Longneck laughed, he and Grandma rocking their heads with mirth._

" _Looks good, doesn't it?" Littlefoot grinned widely, standing tall and turning his face side to side to give them a good view, thrilled by their amusement. "My friends made me try it while we were goofing around and I think I like it. What do you say?"_

 _Grandma Longneck smiled wryly. "I don't think it'll start a trend but you certainly wear it well. Is that how you kids entertained yourselves?"_

Littlefoot gave them a more detailed account of how he ended up with the nose plugs and the food game Ruby introduced them to, heartened by how his grandparents smiled and chuckled at the silly things his friends said and did. They sat around relaxed for a few hours, playing a few games that sometimes involved his grandparents trying to imitate his nasally voice with varying degrees of success. Littlefoot's smile barely left his face and for that time, he felt like he was really bringing light into their lives, as they said.

Eventually, his grandparents told him he should remove the leaf plugs and go over to the nearby river to wash his nose.

" _We don't want to risk you getting a nasal infection, now do we?" Grandma Longneck said._

" _Definitely not." Littlefoot replied._

He ran off to the river, throwing the leaves into a small easy-to-overlook hole and cleaning his nasal passages in the water, taking a bit longer than expected but he didn't mind, warmed by how good-natured and content they were when he left them. When he returned to them, though, their demeanor had changed. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were far more subdued, troubled, with little flickers of horror in their eyes. Chest twisting with dread, Littlefoot approached them carefully.

" _What is it?" he said. "What's wrong?"_

They started, as though surprised about his reappearance. They stared at him, nervous, not knowing what to say. Littlefoot couldn't help noticing there were recent footmarks in the grass. He turned to them with some dread.

" _Did – did someone come around?" he asked. "It's – it's it happening again, isn't? Why else would you have those looks on your faces?"_

 _Grandpa Longneck hesitated but said. "We're not sure if this is a case. We're going to check, but it might be nothing. Still…we'll prepare for the worst."_

Littlefoot gave a soft, upset sigh before he quickly walked up to press against them. He felt them nuzzle him, presumably to assure him by seeking comfort, and whatever good mood was left evaporated. They tried to resume their chat and play but it was still quieter than it used to be. Littlefoot caught them glancing at him every so often. He could surmise why. They didn't talk about it but they knew the arrangement. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck would deal with the ghost and Littlefoot wouldn't get involved. Littlefoot could understand, not wishing to go through something that sad and traumatic again. Still, there was something weird about the concern in their eyes as they glanced his way that sent a chill of unease through him. He tried to brush it away, his worry for his grandparents more dominant. It wasn't a worry that went away by the time he bid them a subdue farewell to reunite with his friends.

Littlefoot's eyes were turned to the side in thought as he and his friends walked along. He wondered where his grandparents were right now. Were they breaking the news to someone that a loved one was a ghost all along? Whatever assurances he told himself, Littlefoot's mind kept lingering on what the fallout would be and how his grandparents were coping with the responsibility.

He forced himself to focus on their search for Cera. There was initially some difficulty in catching her scent. Spike, and especially Chomper, had kept their leaves in their noses a bit too long and they looked like they regretted their decision as their nostrils itched. Eventually, they had to pause to wash their noses under Ruby's advisement and that caused some delay. Though unhappy to fill their nostrils with water, Chomper and Spike did pick up Cera's smell.

The pair's noses took them near the resting place of Cera's family, through some fields, and around clumps of foliage. Wherever she had been going, she wanted to avoid as many obstacles as she could. That wasn't out of character, since Tricia was in Cera's company and she didn't want her little sister to be stuck or trapped somewhere. They still had little clue of Cera's destination or what she was doing there until they heard laughter in the distance.

"That Cera!" Petrie said.

"And Tricia." Ducky said. "They sound like they are having fun, they are."

Ruby frowned. "I'm hearing other voices. Who are those voices with Cera and Tricia?"

"I don't know." Littlefoot said. "They do sound a bit familiar though. Let's go see…"

They were among a thin line of trees not large enough to be called a forest. In addition to the trail going through here, the treetops provided some relief from the strong sunlight. From their position, they could see a great field and, in the distance, a forest. Close to that forest was Cera and Tricia, laughing breathlessly as they passed a rock between themselves, running as though pursued by invisible competitors. It was easy to locate their laughter but the other laughs were a mystery.

"It's just the two of them?" Ducky said. "Huh? Those other voices must be watching from somewhere close by."

"It can't be that." Ruby said. "There is only grass where they're playing and the grass is only high enough to hide Tinysauruses. None of those sound like a Tinysaurus I met."

"Then who is there?" Petrie wondered.

Littlefoot was quiet for a long moment. His eyes searched the surroundings thoroughly for any signs of life beside Cera and Tricia. His heart sank, cold prickling through him, as he began to get an inkling for why his grandparents looked at him with such concern.

"Chomper," Littlefoot said at last, "do you smell anyone there?"

Chomper stepped forward and sniffed. "Not anyone in the immediate area. Just Cera and Tricia…" he tensed fearfully. "Wait, you don't mean this is-"

"If we can't see anybody and if Chomper can't smell anybody," Littlefoot said, "where is that laughter coming from?"

A chill of horror blew past them. Ducky stiffened from her position on Spike.

"You mean Cera and Tricia are playing with ghosts there?" she squeaked.

"They must be people she know, like Hyp." Petrie said. "Oh no, oh no, this bad. We have to tell her."

Petrie began to flap ahead but Ducky quickly jumped off Spike to intercept him.

"No wait, we cannot do this," she said. She fidgeted. "Maybe we should leave them alone. The other voices sound like they are Cera's age. Maybe they are previous friends or brothers and sisters. If this is the only time they can be together, we should not ruin it, we should not, we should not."

"We shouldn't be hasty." Littlefoot said carefully. "But we still don't know what effects these ghost have on those they were close to. What if this makes Cera and Tricia sick or damages their emotions in a big way? We definitely can't check on the state of the bellydragger now and as for Hyp…his father might be willing to talk but Hyp would be with him and he'd likely start chucking stuff at us the second he sees us approach," he checked the sky. "The bright circle is nearly down. We should get my grandparents. We can find out how to help Cera and Tricia by talking to them."

And he was already thinking about how to help the sisters. He understood why his grandparents didn't want him involved in any other ghostly phenomena – they didn't want him or his friends to go through this sort of personal pain – but this was his best friend. With what she was about to go through, Cera needed the support of her friends. Not to mention if his grandparents were going to deal with children who were tangled up with ghosts, Littlefoot wanted to be there to help and support them…

"Littlefoot is right." Ruby said. "Grandpa and Grandma Longneck would know the right way to break the news to her."

"We should probably leave, yeah?" Chomper said. "We don't want them to notice us."

"That's right." Littlefoot replied. "Let's sneak back. If we're quiet, they probably won't know-"

"Hey, why are those kids watching us?"

The group jumped at the unfamiliar voice. Cera and Tricia had stopped their rock game and were now looking straight at Littlefoot and the others. Littlefoot cringed. While debating about whether to approach Cera or not, he neglected to tell Ducky and Petrie to get back into the tree shadows where they wouldn't be seen.

"Yeah?" said another voice. "They act as though they haven't seen threehorns play with each other before."

"That's because those are my friends." Cera said. "They haven't met you yet. Guys, come on over! I might as well introduce you all to each other."

Littlefoot and the others stood indecisively for a moment. Littlefoot was tempted to move away quickly but that would only complicate matters. Reluctantly, he led his friends up to where Cera and Tricia were.

"Remember, guys," Littlefoot whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "when the ghosts speak, stare in the directions of their voices. Try to be positive. This is another meeting with new people."

"This creepy." Petrie murmured.

"Ssh!"

As they neared, they saw Cera and Tricia standing in anticipation. Apparently, the two sisters were pleased to have them around. Cera waved them over.

"You came just in time," she said. "Sorry I haven't told you guys about this but they were only going to stick around for a day, so I wanted to make the most of the time I have with them. I'm sure you understand."

"Um, who are you making the most of your time with?" Ruby asked delicately.

"C'mon, shouldn't it be obvious? We kind of look alike. These are the sisters I hatched with – Holly, Rita, and Duane. You three, these are my friends – Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Chomper, and Ruby."

Littlefoot swept his gaze about to cover for his ignorance of the sisters' locations. "Um, nice to meet you all."

"The same goes for you," said a calm voice. From where Cera pointed, it belong to Duane. "We have, erm…heard a lot about you."

"And we've even seen one of you too," a second sterner voice, Holly, said. "Weren't you the longneck that tried to charge at Cera as though you were a threehorn?"

"Uh, yeah." Littlefoot turned to Holly, attempting to be sheepish instead of on edge. "I think I saw you three there too. Funny how some friendships start. But I, um, definitely don't regret it."

"Though Dad sometimes does." Cera said. "Though he's pretty accepting of them now," she smirked. "If you get him alone enough in the right mood, he might even say he _likes_ them. Oh, it's such a hoot."

As Cera's sisters chuckled knowingly, Littlefoot attempted to give an amused smile as he mentally plotted what words to use.

"Speaking of your dad Cera, where is he?" he asked.

"Oh, he's with Mom in there." Cera said, jerking her head to the forest. "She came to the valley with my sisters for today, and our parents planned it so we could play while they caught up."

*Another mother. Maybe that's what my grandparents are going to – oh, Cera.* Littlefoot thought, heart breaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his friends struggling to fight the devastation and sympathy from entering their faces. For all he knew, Mr. Threehorn's previous mate was still alive and was experiencing this haunting too but he doubted that with the mention she came along with Cera's sisters. Cera rarely mentioned her mother and sisters but the gang seldem had much of as inkling as to why until now.

Despite his efforts, some of his inner turmoil must have showed on his face, for Cera's glowing expression faltered slightly and she tilted her head at him.

"What's that look for?" she asked.

Littlefoot started and shook his head. "Nothing. It's just, we met Tria, and she was worried about why you and your dad were so eager to get away from her."

"Oh." Cera said, regret entering in. "I guess we could have done that better but her knowing my mom would be here would only upset her." With effort, she rallied. "Don't worry, we'll make it up to her. After all she does for us, she deserves it."

Holly's voice hummed, unsettled, while Duane made a subdued sound. In the awkwardness that followed, there was a rumble of steps as though someone stepped closer to examine this strange assortment of kids.

"You have a sharptooth for a friend?" Rita's voice asked. "Wicked!"

"Um, is that good?" Chomper asked, nervous instead of bemused.

"A talking sharptooth? Wow, you have some interesting pals, Cera!"

"Interesting definitely describes them." Holly's voice said neutrally. "I didn't think you would make these kinds of friends."

"Me neither." Cera admitted. "But it seems I like those who are annoying and weird. They ain't so bad."

"Well, if Dad's okay with them…" Holly replied, some doubt present but ease entering her voice.

"I guess around here, herd intermingling is normal." Rita said. "I've been a bit curious about how other herds worked."

"Well, here's a great opportunity to learn about that." Ruby replied. "Actually, you can learn about it in other places as well. Herds made up of different kinds are becoming more common out in the Mysterious Beyond."

"Really? Huh, don't remember bumping into that much. Oh, other than that flyer who passed along a message to Dad and Cera." Rita said. "Though tell us, do other herds have something against eye contact? Because you're looking all over the place. It's weird. Is there something on our faces?"

"Not that we can notice." Ducky said.

"Nothing wrong." Petrie laughed nervously. "It just too bright to see out here."

Tricia laughed. She seemed to find something about what Petrie said amusing. Upon attracting everyone's attention, she hobbled to face them and babbled, attempting to narrow down the words she wanted to say and pointing around. For some reason, Littlefoot felt a flicker of unease the longer Tricia did this but he didn't know why. Before he could explore the feeling further, Tricia spoke.

"See-through."

"Come again?" Cera asked.

Tricia giggled. "See-through."

She waved around again. Puzzled, Cera looked about but didn't notice anything. She was far from the only one bemused. The gang could practically hear her sisters survey the area in confusion. Littlefoot and the others had a hard time pretending to be confused, some open awareness and fear slipping onto their faces. The threehorn sisters didn't remain ignorant of this, as the gang felt more than one pair of eyes stare in their direction

"You guys…" Rita said slowly. "What is she calling see-through?"

"Um…" Petrie said.

"Is she talking about water? Like some pond?" Duane asked. "Why do you all look so nervous? Is that water toxic?"

"We are not exactly nervous." Ducky said weakly. "And there's no pond nearby, toxic or untoxic."

"Then what is she talking about?" Cera demanded.

"You lot are still not looking directly at us." Holly said. "It's not that bright, not really. We're not scary to look at. You have a sharptooth friend, for goodness sake. So what's the big deal with us, huh?"

"The big deal isn't you precisely." Ruby said.

"Then what is it?" Rita said curiously. "Just tell us? We don't bite – much."

"It's um...we don't want – we can't say." Chomper said.

"What do you mean?" Duane said, friendly mediating tone holding a bit of nervousness. She shook it off. "Rita's right, no matter how silly she is about it. We've been living outside the valley for a long time, with all that entails. You can be honest with us. Really."

That cornered Littlefoot and the others. Their eyes slid nervously around but it was clear they had to say something sooner or later. Cera and her sisters looked and sounded so honestly confused but they were expecting answers. Tricia looked between her sisters and the gang, her simple amusement devolving into unsure confusion over what was happening. Hastily, Littlefoot stepped forward, finding it hard to meet Cera's eye.

"Look, just…go back to your parents," he said. "Go back to them."

"Wha?" Rita said, thrown.

"You know where they are, right?" Littlefoot continued. "Just…find them. Be with them."

"What does this have to do with you not looking at my sisters?" Cera demanded.

"You three haven't seen your father in a while, right?" Littlefoot asked. "Same with you and your mother, Cera. Don't you want to see them again? Just – just go to them."

"I don't understand." Duane said. "Are we having two different conversations here?"

"Are you going to explain yourself at all?" Holly asked.

"Go back to your parents." Littlefoot repeated, pleaded. "Spend what time you can with your family. Just go to them. Go."

His eyes went in Cera's direction, who looked a mix of baffled and concerned. As she took in his pleading stare, though, she slowly stilled, gaze becoming blank.

"No," she said.

"Be with them." Littlefoot said.

"No, no." Cera said.

"Huh Cera, what are you saying?" Rita asked, bemused and a bit hurt.

"I know their request is a bit sudden, but we've been planning on meeting with our parents anyway, right?" Duane said.

Cera didn't pay any attention to them. She was looking at her friends with the flickering beginnings of numb anger. Littlefoot and the others suddenly understood her three no's weren't about reuniting with her parents. She was cottoning on to what was going on.

"Get out." Cera said lowly. "Leave."

"Now what?" Holly said incredulously. "Cera, aren't these your-"

"I said leave!"

Cera charged at her friends angrily, causing them to jump away with a start and hastily back away. Tricia screamed and staggered back, scared and concerned by Cera's change in demeanor.

"We're leaving, we're all leaving." Littlefoot said hastily.

"That's right, go." Cera said, walking after them to make sure they didn't stop. "I don't want you here anymore."

"We'll leave you alone, really. Just, find your family, find them."

"Don't even think about calling your grandparents! I don't want to see any hint of you or your family for the rest of the day!"

"Cera, what's the matter?" Rita asked. "Why are you so mad all of a sudden?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Cera replied.

"But why were your friends so concerned for us to be back with our parents?" Holly said.

"It's nothing. It's just stupid. My friends are being stupid."

"What are they being stupid about?" Duane asked.

"It's nothing, really nothing!" Cera said, voice going a bit high. "They – just need – to go away!"

She emphasized each pause with a slight pickup in speed, attempting to get her friends away. Littlefoot and the others were scared. They rarely saw this kind of deep fury in Cera before. Tricia's lip wobbled as she kept her distance, as though fearful that baffling anger might be misdirected to her. Yet in their fear, the gang also felt a sort of sadness, as a desperation tinged her fury, a desperation that the reality she believed, treasured, was real. But her sisters weren't standing silently as she tried to drive her friends off.

"Is this about them not looking at us?" Duane said. "Is something about that scary?"

"Don't think about it!" Cera replied desperately. "They just think – they believe – it's not true! It's sick, it's sick!"

"It does have something to do with that, doesn't it?" Holly said impatiently. "Why won't you tell us? Dang it, we're threehorns. Can't we take anything?"

"We can but – we shouldn't! You shouldn't!"

"If this isn't really true, why not tell us anyway?" Rita said. "What does them not looking at us have to do with their insistence to meet our parents?"

"Can't you all stop being curious for one second?" Cera demanded. "Just forget about this! Be happy we're together now!"

"But we can't be happy when you're yelling at your friends and hiding stuff from us." Duane replied. "Mom says you sometimes have to go through pain quick in order to heal a wound. Just tell us quickly and even it's scary, we can get over it."

"You can't get over this. Once you hear this – once it's said-"

"Dang it Cera, are you really still such a baby?" Holly said angrily. "For all your talk, you haven't changed much from our hatchling days when you squealed away from sky booms. Just because you're still a coward doesn't mean you have a right to keep things from us. Now be brave for once and come out with the truth, because we're not going to stop asking until you do!"

With stress pushing her to the edge, those were just the words needed to set Cera off.

"Don't call me a coward!" she snapped. "You want to hear the truth, huh? Why would you want to hear about this freaky and messed up stuff? Are you that desperate to hear that my friends are deluded enough that they can't see you? That they think you're ghosts? That you died while trying to get to me after the Great Earthshake?"

Cera panted, her anger and raising her voice forcing her to stop attempting to charge her friends off as she recouped her energy. Everyone stood silently as they took several moments to absorb what she said.

"What do you mean, we died looking for you after the earthshake?" Holly asked nervously.

Cera stiffened, eyes wide with horror. Breathing through her nose, she glared at Littlefoot and took a step as though to confront him but she cried out and collapsed while gripping her head. Tricia let out a sound of distress and went to Cera's side while other galloping feet signaled her sisters did the same.

"What's wrong, Cera?" Duane asked.

"I don't want to – I don't want…" Cera trailed off as the headache eased and gazed up with much regret. "I remember," she said, as though in apology.

"What does that mean?" Rita asked. "What were you talking about with them not seeing us and us being ghosts?"

"The meaning from those words is clear." Cera said miserably. "It means…only Tricia and I can see. Tricia called you see-through because…I don't know, maybe because she's young or related, she can see you for who you really are. You're ghosts. Which means you're not really here. It means you're…dead."

"Now that is ridiculous." Holly scoffed. "First you say your friends are being sick and deluded, now you agree with them. It's long stopped being funny. There's no way we can be dead."

"If that's true, should I be able to do this?"

Cera jutted a paw at a spot of what appeared to be empty air. There were screams of shock and flutters of movement.

"You put your paw in my chest!" Holly exclaimed. "How – how did you do that? It is…"

"Impossible? You prove that wrong. You really are ghosts." Cera then said bitterly. "I've been playing with ghosts all day."

"If we're ghosts, does that mean…" Rita said. "No. This has to be some weird sleep story. This isn't cool at all. Wake up. Wake up!"

There was several swiping sounds and more shrieks. By then, three forms were distinctively becoming clear. They were adolescent threehorns around Cera's age, who looked quite similar to her in everything but slight things like eye color or horn shape. Currently, they were surveying each other with horrified fascination. When slapping herself didn't work, Rita apparently tried to hit her sisters to wake them up and her paw going through them only confirmed their horrible reality. Tricia stayed where she was, fear still present but relaxing as her confusion over the situation became dominate. She only watched as the three sisters shook, mouths open, struggling to accept what had never been considered before.

"Tricia is right." Duane said faintly. "We are see-through."

"No wonder you were scared of looking at us." Rita said to the gang.

"Sorry." Littlefoot said. "When we could hear but not see you, we were going to get our grandparents and wait until there was time to break the news, but when you saw us, we thought it'd look too suspicious if we ran away."

"Wait until you can break the – has this happened before?" Holly said quickly. "Do you know where this is coming from? Is there a way to stop this, to reverse it?"

"This – this happened two times in two days." Ruby said. "We don't know what the cause is or if it can be reversed, whether that means stopping ghosts from appearing or -" her breath shook. "We're sorry."

Glaring at them, Holly started pacing nervously, eyes attempting to be contemplative about this mystery but more and more terror leaked through.

"How – what lead us to this?" Holly asked.

"The last thing I remember is…falling." Rita said.

"Me too." Duane said. "And then…nothing."

"No! No, no!" Holly said desperately. "This isn't real! You can't be dead and aware at the same time!"

"We're too young!" Rita cried. "This isn't fair! Now we'll never grow up!"

"This is the end?" Duane said faintly. "I can't – it's too soon!"

Holly was looking around desperately, as though to search for some comforting explanation and losing more of her composure when none came. Rita rocked on her hind legs, rubbing her forepaws over her forehead and eyes, her breath coming out in wet bursts. Duane shook in place, trying to calmly take in their reality but it was like a mountain and every part she absorbed was taking in another devastating fact about what they couldn't accomplish. Picking up on their distress, Tricia hobbled over to each of them, chattering concernedly to get their attention but they were too caught up in their inner turmoil to notice her. Cera was slumped beside them, miserable, eyes shining wetly, but there was mostly bitter resignation that all of her hopes involving the sisters she hatched with were brutally dashed.

The gang wasn't doing so well either. Tears streamed down Ducky's face as she looked at the threehorn sisters with a personal empathy. She hugged Spike's neck and he was crying too, devastated these sisters who were having so much fun before now had to face their mortality so soon. Petrie shook with a bit of fear but his instinctive dread of the supernatural was gradually being overwhelmed by wet-eyed sympathy for these ordinary children cut down by tragedy. Ruby and Chomper held hands as they exchanged helpless glances, not sure how they could help, reminded of precious family who might be claimed by the ruthless Mysterious Beyond at any time. Littlefoot's vision blurred, shame and sadness making everything sickly and numb. He attempted to do the right thing, spare Cera of the pain Dil and Hyp went through, but his unwatchful eye and clumsy words screwed things up again. Now the first of the best friends he made had to deal with the consequences and there was little he could do to set things right.

"What are we going to do now?" Duane asked, voice cracked.

"I don't know." Rita replied. "What do – can ghosts do anything?"

Holly sniffled, looking around again. "Where's our parents? Dad – we need to meet Dad. And Mom – I want Mommy!"

"Mom?" Cera said, bitter apathy swiftly replaced by a terrible realization. "That's right. If you're here, then that means…we really need get back to them now!"

Cera got up and took off, with her ghostly sisters scrambling after her with the desperation of being told there is a sanctuary in a storm. Upset, Tricia attempted to follow but her little legs weren't as speedy. As her sisters sprinted ahead, she was covering less and less ground. She warbled desperately as she couldn't catch up. But then a head bobbed up from under her and she slid down Littlefoot's neck to find he and his friends running after the threehorn sisters in pursuit.

"Don't worry, Tricia." Littlefoot said. "We'll catch up with them. Just hang on."

Warbling in worry, Tricia saw little choice but to get a good grip. She trusted Littlefoot and Cera's other nice friends. Maybe they would be able to do something that would make Cera and the other sisters less upset. With that hope, she and Cera's friends entered the forest.

* * *

Tria tried not to glance backwards as she searched the area where Mr. Threehorn came out. She had no guarantees her mate would exit through the same route but she didn't have much else to go with. She had a sense he would reuse this path, though, and she hoped her instincts were correct. If he emerged from even a bit behind her, everyone's cover might be blown and she didn't want to make hay about something that mightn't be anything at all.

*I hope I'm wrong. I really hope this is nothing. But if this is true...*

There was a rustle in the forest. Behind her, there was the ever-so-slight rumble from particularly large trees but she tried not to pay attention to that. A second later, Mr. Threehorn appeared. He had his eyes on a spot in the air level with him and he chatted genially as though someone was there. Tria's heart twisted, for more reasons than one. The most dominant feeling was shock, the fear of worst suspicions being confirmed, and what it might mean for him and the family.

But underneath was a faint but uglier, envious bout of pain. She hated that was her reaction, like she was one of those petty love story characters she swore she would never be like, but she couldn't help it. No matter how she logically put the situation, it still hurt to see Mr. Threehorn having a good time with another woman and that he didn't trust her enough to inform her of the truth. Even with those emotions churning inside her, she kept a level face as he moved out into the light.

"There you are, Topsy."

Mr. Threehorn jumped and turned to her, alarmed. "Tria. Don't sneak up on me like that. Now's…not the right time."

"You didn't say you would be done with your business when the bright circle sets." Tria replied. "Don't worry, I'm not too mad. I'm just concerned. What's going on?"

"Oh. I'm…" Mr. Threehorn looked down and made a waving motion. "As you can see, I'm meeting with my previous mate. I haven't heard from her in a while and I wanted to catch up on old times."

"I see. With your other daughters as well."

"That's right. Right now, they are playing with Cera and Tricia. Don't worry, they'll treat them well. From what she said, they have been quite looking forward to meeting their new sister."

*Oh, no.* Tria thought. *Is this, is this really...*

"I'm sorry for the secrecy," the voice of Mr. Threehorn's previous mate, Mrs. Threehorn, said. It was smooth, no-nonsense, hardened by tough experience. "We didn't want to upset you. You know the stories. It only takes a bit of misunderstanding for some unfounded love drama to start. We should have solved that by just being clear with you."

"Well, I'm glad to have someone…with some sense." Tria said, trying to keep her voice steady. Hearing about ghosts yesterday was one thing, concerning yet distant and hypothetical, but being confronted by the genuine article was an unnerving experience. Her mind raced. *Oh goodness, this is real. She is here. Then Cera's sisters are really involved with this? Oh, those poor little girls!* Outwardly, she kept herself composed as she continued. "I also apologize for intruding on this family time. I should have been more trusting."

"You don't have to worry. Things between us aren't what they used to be anymore." Mrs. Threehorn said. "Let's just say after the earthshake separated us from Cera, it caused some…tensions. It's when a crises comes around that your relationship is truly tested, isn't it?"

Tria remembered the conflict about the Tinysauruses. "Yeah, I know."

"Anyway, we argued about how much risk we should take searching the shaky cliffs for a route to our side, how long we should wait for her to get to us before striking out on our own. We were both desperate to find her but I wanted to keep us safe as well. I thought the newly integrating herd would be the safest place to keep our kids and they weren't going to wait for us forever. He didn't agree and thought we should stay until we get her and strike out on our own. I thought he was being too prideful to consider what was best for our girls. I became his mate because of his pride and certainty but then…"

Mr. Threehorn nodded solemnly. "I always liked you for how pragmatic you were but at that time, I thought you didn't love our daughters enough to get them all back and it was insulting that you thought intermingling with other herds was safer than trusting the threehorn way would keep us alive like always. That, and the stress of finding Cera, it made me angry…"

"Time wasn't on our side." Mrs. Threehorn continued. "We really tried to find her but when the herd finally decided to depart, I put my foot down and said we had to go with them. With the stress of leaving Cera behind, not knowing if she was alive or could follow us, and of not being able to agree if this was the right thing to do…" There was a sigh. "Something snapped. We…couldn't stay together anymore."

Tria remained silent. Already, her heart was lowering.

"I took our remaining daughters with me to go elsewhere. I was happy to hear Cera returned to the valley but I needed to start over. Fortunately my three daughters and I found a good place to live. It became a home. Still, I began to miss my old mate and Cera, so I contacted him to arrange for a visit."

"I said some things I didn't want to say." Mr. Threehorn said. "I wanted to have at least a chance to make things up. Cera also missed her sisters. She really looked forward to playing with them again when she came to the valley and when she saw only me there…" he shook his head. "I didn't do a good job of explaining things. She never mentioned them again. Never thinking about the other parts of your family…that isn't right. At least today the two of us could patch things up and allow our daughters to play and catch up with each other."

"So I'm not here to take Topps back." Mrs. Threehorn said. "As much as I care for him, that is over. As he said, I only came back to heal old wounds. I hope that is some comfort to you."

"It is. Thank you for your concern." Tria was quiet for a moment. "So the reason your previous mate and Cera's sisters didn't make it to the valley is because you separated?"

Mr. Threehorn sighed. "That's the long and short of it."

"That must have been a painful experience."

"It took both of us this long to gather the nerve to see each other again." Mrs. Threehorn agreed. "Shame on us. We should have been mature enough to arrange meetings sooner."

"I see." Tria took a long, shaky breath, stealing herself. "Can you get Cera and the girls? There is something important I have to tell you."

"Hmm?" Mrs. Threehorn said warily. "What do you mean?"

"I'll explain when you get the girls. This is something you all need to hear together."

"Tria – oh, come on." Mr. Threehorn protested. "What I did was wrong, I admit it, but was it to the point you're considering separating from me? Let's – let's think this through. We can work this out together. I don't want to upset you or the girls."

Tria shook her head. "No, that's not it Topsy. I am mad you didn't trust me with the truth but we can work it out. No, what I'm about to say is much bigger than our relationship."

"Is that so?" Mrs. Threehorn said, wariness still present but confusion increasing. "What is it?"

"I can't say anything until all of the girls are here. It's really important that you all be together for this."

"This doesn't sound good." Mr. Threehorn said. "Why can't you talk to us about it now, and we can tell them later? We don't want to cut into their playtime with bad news."

"I can't explain but it must be done." Tria said. "You…need all the time you can with your family for this."

"What? Tria, it sounds like I'm not the only one who has been keeping secrets. What's so important you can't tell us separately? Can't you even give a hint to what you're going to say?"

"I'm sorry, you two. I said too much already. Just do as I request, and bring Cera and the others here."

"Oh come off it, Tria." Mr. Threehorn said impatiently. "I accept that you're angry with me for what I did but turning around and using the same vague treatment against me isn't going to solve anything. Come on, out with it."

"Please Topsy." Tria pleaded. "If I tell you the truth, and the girls aren't here, you're going to regret it," she turned to the invisible third threehorn. "Can't you talk some sense into him?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Topps here." Mrs. Threehorn said. "I can see from your expression you're not up to anything truly malicious but I want to make sure what you say is safe for the girls before I bring them around."

Tria found herself stuck. Mr. Threehorn and the unseen Mrs. Threehorn's concern was unambiguous but their tone was firm they weren't going to get Cera and her sisters until they got an explanation. Tria had to do something to that effect but she knew that if she did, there was no going back and precious time would be wasted finding their daughters instead of being with them. Her mind blanked. She couldn't think of a solution out of this, and she didn't want to hurt her family in this way. Helplessly, she glanced back at those same large trees, seeking assistance. Mr. Threehorn and his mate were confused but then a voice spoke out.

"Do you really want the explanation now, my friend?"

The large trees behind Tria rustled and Grandpa and Grandma Longneck emerged into view, walking over and sadly surveying the threehorns.

"You two?" Mr. Threehorn said, even more baffled. "What were you doing back here?"

"Were you watching us this whole time?" Mrs. Threehorn said.

"Tria requested our help." Grandma Longneck then sighed. "And it seems her suspicions have been confirmed."

"What suspicions?" Mr. Threehorn repeated. "Why would Tria go to you and what does that have to do with an explanation…"

He trailed off, taking in Grandpa and Grandma Longneck's solemn faces and Tria's sad expression. Mr. Threehorn stepped back sharply.

"No, I won't believe it," he said. "I'm not going along with this charade. I won't have you ruin this special day with your sick fancy. I won't!"

"Topsy," Tria said softly, "please get the girls quick."

"What is it, Topps?" Mrs. Threehorn said warily. "Why must we get the girls quick?"

"Don't listen to them!" Mr. Threehorn said, furious. "They're just winding us up."

"They look too serious to be winding us up."

"Does it really matter if they believe their own delusions or not?"

"If they're just delusions, just tell me what's going on?" Mrs. Threehorn demanded, concerned.

Mr. Threehorn stared ahead. "Y-You wouldn't like it. It's better you don't know."

"Don't patronize me. Why are you keeping information from me, when you were rightly mad at Tria for doing the same seconds ago? Just tell me."

"Well…" Mr. Threehorn gazed at her, some of that anger faltering into concerned reluctance.

Mrs. Threehorn finally lost all patience. "Damn it Topps, I'm a grown threehorn. Even if it does upset me, I have a right to know!"

"Alright, alright. They think you fell to your death on the way to the Great Valley and believe you're an invisible ghost," he said this in a slight rush, shaking his head with disgust. "Do you see how nonsensical and sick this is?"

Mrs. Threehorn was silent for a moment. "Falling to my death. Where did you get that from?"

"No one mentioned anyone falling to their deaths at yesterday's meeting." Grandma Longneck said softly.

That stopped Mr. Threehorn in his tracks. His eyes were wide with surprise – and fear.

"You're all serious...about this ghost thing. You're taking this so seriously." Mrs. Threehorn's calm voice became even more wary. "Can you three see me? Is there someone…next to Topps?"

"All we can see," Grandpa Longneck said, "is Mr. Threehorn. We can hear your voice beside him but…we can't see the person who it belongs to. "

"D-don't say that." Mr. Threehorn tried to keep his defiant tone but his voice was faint. He was stunned by the words that fell out of his mouth. There was barely any room for anger. "She's right next to me. Can't you see? She's solid as solid can-"

Mr. Threehorn had been twitching his head toward where Mrs. Threehorn's voice originated for emphasis but he froze in mid-motion. Tria and the grandparents couldn't see what was happening but from the sound of Mrs. Threehorn's intake of breath, they could guess what it was.

"Topps," Mrs. Threehorn said with a quiet tremor, "your horn is in my horn."

Mr. Threehorn staggered away but the damage had already been done.

"No!" he exclaimed. "You can't be dead! I won't believe it! I – argh!"

Mr. Threehorn collapsed, gripping his head as though a large boulder had smacked him hard. He couldn't stop the groans from escaping through gritted teeth and he let out measured breaths to make the pain bearable.

"What is it, Topps?" Mrs. Threehorn demanded. "What's happening to him?"

"He's starting to remember what really happened." Grandpa Longneck replied. "We saw this before. I'm afraid this is going to be painful."

"So I'm really dead. I'm really…" Mrs. Threehorn trailed off.

"We're so sorry." Grandma Longneck said. "There's no good way to break this news. We don't know how you're here, we only know that ghosts unwittingly cause memory lapses in those closest to them."

"Then all that stuff about our separation, it was…"

Mr. Threehorn's headaches eased. He slowly returned to his feet, stricken. "It never happened. If it was my choice, I would have preferred us being separated to…to this."

"I…" There was a shaky breath and the faintest start of a threehorn's outline started appearing. "I'm starting to remember too. What actually happened. Oh, no. It's so different, painful, I…"

"Rest a bit." Tria said softly. "If this is too much, you don't have to think or talk about this if you don't have to."

"No, I must. I'll face this. For something this monumental, I can't run away." Mrs. Threehorn's voice hitched before she continued. "We were looking for a way to get to Cera's side after the earthshake, going wherever we could along the cliffs. I knew the earth was still unstable and kept calling Holly and the others to not walk ahead but with Cera missing, I wasn't thinking clearly. We were desperate."

"We remember." Grandpa Longneck said. "We heard your desperation after the earthshake, before we went off to help form the herd."

"We were going to return to ask your family to join but we couldn't find you and when Mr. Threehorn came back alone, we feared…" Grandma Longneck said.

"Yes." Mrs. Threehorn said. "If only we knew Cera would make it to the valley, we might have joined. Then we…but hindsight isn't helpful now. We did actually argue a bit about joining the herd, as detailed before, but we were mostly trying to balance looking for Cera and keeping watch over our other daughters at the same time. There was a lower spot among the cliffs we thought Cera might be able to reach and we went toward it.

"I didn't know what was happening until it was too late." With every sentence, Mrs. Threehorn's voice lost a bit more of its calm quality, a barely controlled wavering becoming prominent. "One second, we were walking on stable ground toward the spot. The next, there was a crackle and the earth broke apart into rocks in front of me. I turned around just in time to get a hold of the new cliff that appeared. My daughters…they dropped out of sight and their screams stopped after I heard a crack. I knew I shouldn't have looked down but I did and I – I saw what happened. It made me irate. Holly, Rita, and Duane suddenly dying felt like something huge had been ripped from my chest and I was screaming in that horrible way I thought I was too calm to ever do. I couldn't think in my grief. Topps kept telling me to hang on, to be alive for Cera. I tried to climb back up, for her and him, but I was holding on by my front legs. I couldn't crawl up and could only hold on for so long before I fell and…I don't remember anything after that."

"I was alone." Mr. Threehorn said, vacant stare an echo of that horrible moment. "You and the girls dead, Cera missing…I thought I lost everything."

Silence. Mrs. Threehorn became clearer now, a lighter grey mother who didn't appear unfriendly by any means, but had the air of someone who made serious and practical decisions, genial but reserved. Now that was starting to collapse. She looked down at her ghostly form with barely-restrained shock, her attempts to coolly assess her condition giving way to shaking horror. No matter how she tried to prepare for many scenarios, there was no way to deal with the fact she was a ghost or that her life had long been over. It appeared to take all her strength not to collapse.

Tria watched with both incomprehension and sympathy. Though she was open-minded when it came to the supernatural and trusted Grandpa and Grandma Longneck's word, the reality of ghosts was more than she could take. It left her a bit tingly and shaken, and her heart twisted in sympathy for Mrs. Threehorn. To begin today believing you were coming here to make amends for family conflict, only to find not only much of that was a lie but you weren't alive for a long time, must be horrible. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck observed, having prepared for this moment but their eyes were dark with pained empathy. They glanced at one another, as though imagining themselves in Mr. and Mrs. Threehorn's position and wanting to press their heads together, but thought it inappropriate to assure one another of their physical presence while Cera's parents could never again take comfort in warm contact.

Mr. Threehorn stared at the earth, most of the anger and emotion hollowed out of him. Now the truth had been revealed, he appeared at a loss for how to cope. Mrs. Threehorn noticed this and, with a flash of sympathy, focused upon him, forcing up a wistful smile as though to distract herself from the pain.

"So I suppose this is some blessing," she said. "That we can talk now."

"I suppose so." Mr. Threehorn sighed heavily. "Oh, what can I say to you now?"

"I don't know." Mrs. Threehorn shook her head helplessly. "No one thinks about those things until it happens. I…suppose I'm glad to hear that we never really broke up, even if our arguments indicated it was a possibility."

"Yeah." Mr. Threehorn replied. "At least today we were able to settle a few of those worries and have some last words," he sighed again. "But I didn't want any last words. I wanted to correct things, I wanted-"

"I know." Mrs. Threehorn said. "I feel the same way. I was so looking forward to helping our four girls into adulthood but now-"

"The girls!" Mr. Threehorn cried. "If you are here, then Holly, Rita, and Duane…I said they would be with Cera and Tricia," he look around desperately, "but I don't know where they are!"

Mrs. Threehorn briefly looked to Tria with sudden, almost sad understanding. "Now I see why you requested us to be together." She turned to Mr. Threehorn. "Let's find them, quick. You said they weren't far. We just need to shout for them!"

And the pair took off at a run, calling out their daughters' names, forcing Tria and Grandpa and Grandma Longneck to scramble after them. Tria's chest ached with remorse. With so much unknown, she had been told it was best to end this ghost business early before any damage might affect the living, but she couldn't help feeling she sabotaged a family's chance to really mend ties again.

* * *

Cera continued running. There was a rushing sound in her ears not related to the wind blowing past. She could see her sisters keeping up with her out of the corner of her eye and being able to see the foliage and sky through them made her heart wrench. This whole reunion had been a lie. In that delusion, Cera had been hoping reconnecting bonds would mean she would see more of her sisters and mother. She was aware things could never be the same but at least they could spend time together as a family. Littlefoot made it work with Bron and Shorty, so Cera's family could do it too.

That wasn't possible in reality. Her mother and her sisters had died senselessly long ago. There was no conflict that split their family apart and there were no more future meetings to look forward to. It had only been some incomprehensible, magical fluke that Cera was able to get to be with them again at all, and it wasn't going to last past sunset. She felt angry at the world in general but, in her rush, that was now pushed aside. If this was really the only chance in her lifetime, at the very least she could speak with her mother again.

"Do you have any idea of where she is?" Cera asked.

"We're not sure." Holly said. "We know where she was going to meet Dad, but they must have wandered around while catching up on old times."

"Great, just great." Cera muttered. "Let's just get to them before any of you girls fade."

"We're going to fade?" Rita squeaked.

"I thought being ghosts meant we can stick around?" Duane said.

"I wish that were the case. But if you aren't going to stick around, wouldn't it be better to be with Mom and Dad?"

The only response Cera got were unsettled whimpers and her sister caught up to match her urgent running speed. Cera was disturbed. She had expecting that kind of reaction from Rita and Duane but that even Holly couldn't contain her dread for the end broke Cera's heart. It only made her more determined to find her parents before her sisters could disappear for good.

"Mom! Daddy!" Cera cried. "Where are you? We need help!"

There were several cries of "Mom!" and "Dad!" from Holly, Rita, and Duane, each higher and more desperate than the last. So far, they have gone through the edge of the forest and got no response but before Cera could lose hope, they turned a corner and they heard voices call out.

"Cera? Girls? Is that you?" Mr. Threehorn called.

"Daddy, we're here!" Cera said.

"Don't worry, we're coming."

Cera's heart almost froze. The last time she had heard that voice, it had been across a newly created gorge. She picked up her pace even more as Mr. and Mrs. Threehorn came running around the corner, the desperation in their faces mirroring their daughters'. Cera accepted a nuzzle from her father before turning to accept the same from her mother. Her head went through Mrs. Threehorn's jaw.

"No!" Cera said. "Why can't I feel you, this isn't fair!"

"Unfortunately, this is how it is. Don't worry, Cera," Mrs. Threehorn's breath shuddered for a second, "this will do."

Reluctantly, Cera continued to push her head into her mother's transparent face, the temperature drop from contact a poor substitute for a mother's warmth. Mr. Threehorn lowered his head to accept the ghostly nuzzles of her other daughters, barely able to keep his face from shaking.

"I'm so glad to see you girls again," he said.

"Are we really going to fade, Daddy?" Rita asked.

"Cera said we would." Duane said.

Mr. Threehorn couldn't answer. Holly looked up, face also shaking.

"The last thing I remember," she said, "was falling. Did we die there? Is it…true?"

Mr. Threehorn stared solemnly. "I'm sorry."

Something in Holly seemed to break. She pressed against Mr. Threehorn until her head was hidden and sobbed. "Daddy…"

The other girls did the same, Duane unable to keep sharp, wet breaths from escaping and Rita was unnaturally quiet, faint shivering whimpers barely audible. Cera and Mrs. Threehorn went over and joined them, pressing close and nuzzling anyone within reach, making sure no one was alone or forgotten in their last time together.

Even as that was happening, several footsteps announced the arrival of company. Littlefoot and the others carefully slowed as they entered into view, hesitating over intruding on this private moment. Then Littlefoot lowered his head and gently deposited Tricia.

"Go to them," he said.

Babbling in confusion, Tricia tottered uncertainly to the threehorn family, staring wonderingly at the ghostly Mrs. Threehorn as though unable to know what to make of her. Mr. Threehorn noticed and welled up a smile.

"There you are, Tricia."

Tricia hopped over and all too happily nuzzled her father. She then noticed no one seemed to share her good spirit, that the scary mood from the field continued, and warbled in concern. Cera turned and nuzzled her, unable to hide the tears starting to leak out.

"Sorry for leaving you behind, Tricia." Cera said. "When we heard about my mom, I got scared and forgot – sorry."

Tricia nuzzled back, a bit soothed by Cera's words but her sadness only confused her further. Mrs. Threehorn watched the pair with sad relief.

"At least Cera wouldn't really be alone," she said with soft affection. "Tricia looks precious. I wish we could have gotten to get to know her more."

"She's so curious and playful." Mr. Threehorn said. "She looks up to Cera and likes nearly everyone she meets. I'm sure she'd come to really value you all if you could stick around."

Another set of footsteps announced more arrivals. Tria and Grandpa and Grandma Longneck came up from behind Mr. and Mrs. Threehorn. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck rose a bit as they glanced at Littlefoot and the others, alarmed they were present at this sad family reunion. Mrs. Threehorn glanced at Tria and smiled sadly at her mate.

"At least you aren't really alone either. It looks like you found a real keeper with her."

Mr. Threehorn hesitated. "I really value Tria – but she doesn't replace you. It's not a slap to her, I'm only trying to say-"

"She's valuable in an equal but different way to me." Mrs. Threehorn said patiently. "I know, Topps. If our roles were reversed, I probably would have found myself in a similar situation. After talking with Tria, I could see why…why…"

Mrs. Threehorn trailed off, and nearly collapsed. Holly, Rita, and Duane also dropped, looking momentarily faint in both meanings of the term. They became even more translucent for a second, becoming vague outlines, before their full color came back with a start. Tria hurried closer, concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"It's hard remaining here." Mrs. Threehorn said weakly, struggling to push herself to her feet. "We don't have long. You all were right. After being made aware that we're ghosts, we'll fade back to wherever our spirits have been dwelling."

"No!" Rita staggered to her feet panickedly. "I don't want to die!"

"I don't remember where we've been." Duane said, head shaking slightly. "What if…what if there's nothing?"

"Oh no." Holly said, covering her eyes. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Cera said sharply. "We can find a way to make you stay, right?"

"That's right." Mr. Threehorn said, with a flash of his usual defiant spirit. "What are the rules for this kind of thing anyway? It's all nonsense. Maybe we can find some special rocks or plants or something else that might keep you here."

"Even if there was such a thing," Mrs. Threehorn said softly, resignedly, "is there enough time to find it?"

All the fire went out of Cera and Mr. Threehorn. They already knew the answer. He pressed his head into Mrs. Threehorn's.

"No," Mr. Threehorn murmured.

Holly reluctantly uncovered her eyes. "I guess…that's just the way it is," she said as though to comfort herself and everyone else but instead she sounded like she swallowed a lemon.

Tricia made a noise of alarm. She was beginning to get the implications of the sadness around her and she ran up to Holly to press against her nose pleadingly only to fall through. Startled, she tried again and got the same result. She went over to nuzzle Rita and her head went through hers. Pressing against Duane's leg only caused her to fall to her side again. She gazed at them all, upset she couldn't feel their warmth, and at the fact she couldn't convince them to leave. She warbled pleadingly, eyes wide. The three glanced at her, guilt and warmth flickering in their faces.

"Sorry, cutie." Rita said, voice cracking. "We really can't stay."

"It was fun being with you. We apologize for leaving you behind." Duane gave a wavering yet reassuring smile. "Be careful. You should grow old before you become like us."

"You won't see us again." Holly said miserably. "You might not even remember this."

Tricia didn't find these answers reassuringly. Whimpers escaping her wobbling lip, she collapsed and cried. Cera went over and nuzzled her, and Tricia accepted her sisterly touch gladly. Cera's own tears came down more heavily.

"Don't worry Tricia, I'm here." Cera said. "At least we can be sad together."

Tria looked at Mrs. Threehorn with concern. "Is there any way we can help you?"

"Yeah." Mr. Threehorn gazed at his former mate desperately. "There must be something, anything. I don't want to lose you all again."

Mrs. Threehorn smiled faintly. "It's okay. This is just where the circle of life turned. We'll just…have to adapt," she continued with a bit more strength. "We're both strong enough that we can deal with this, right? Besides, neither of us is going to be alone."

"That's right, Daddy." Rita said, taking on a bit of that strength. "We have Mom."

"And she has us." Holly said, apparently finding some comfort in her statement.

"You have Cera and Tricia." Duane said quietly. "And…Tria. I don't know her but she seems nice."

"See, we're both doing well with what we have." Mrs. Threehorn said. "At least we could talk one last time. I'm sure you'll all do fine together, Topps, just as long as you learn to be okay with being vul..."

Mrs. Threehorn and the girls slumped and faded a bit again. This time, they couldn't regain their color. Holly, Rita, and Duane hastily stepped closer to their mother, pressing near her and each other as much as they could without phasing through one another. There was still fear but gradual acceptance of their fate as they looked at their living family members.

"We can't hold it back anymore." Mrs. Threehorn said. "We're going back."

"Why?" Mr. Threehorn murmured. "Why does life have to be like this?"

"Hey, you always said to be tough." Holly replied. "Now live up to that."

"Be tough enough not to die too soon." Rita grinned weakly. "Live until you're old and kind of loopy."

"As sad as it is, this is a reunion to delay for as long as possible." Duane said.

"How's that supposed to make us feel better?" Cera said bitterly. "We'll barely remember you then."

"At least you will still remember." Mrs. Threehorn answered. Her tone turned grateful. "I'm glad that you're all not alone. Goodbye. Thank you…"

Then they faded, their color draining, their outlines becoming less distinct. Soon, there was no one there at all. The others were quiet, the only sound present that of Tricia's cries and Cera's sniffles. Even the gang struggled to keep their tears quiet. Cera, Tricia, and Mr. Threehorn stayed where they were, watching the spot where Mrs. Threehorn and the girls had stood for what seemed like forever. Then Mr. Threehorn turned and walked away, all that rough determination gone. Tria stepped forward hesitantly, but decided not to follow. Cera and Tricia were not far behind their father, heads down. Out of the corner of her eye, Cera saw one of her friends stir.

"Cera?" Littlefoot said tentatively.

Cera looked at him. Littlefoot was always so well-intentioned, so empathetic. She knew he had done his best to help, to warn her back to her parents. Yet all Cera could feel now was an ugly, curdling resentment.

"Why couldn't you have waited until tonight?" she said. "At least then I'd have spent more time with my family and to at least _enjoy_ the thought of seeing more of them again."

And ignoring Littlefoot's guilt-ridden expression, Cera continued following Tricia and Mr. Threehorn out of the forest, wanting to forget this falsely hopeful day.

 **Next time…**

 **An Unwelcome Reunion Part 1**

* * *

 **Note:** I originated the names for Cera's sisters from the Triceratops' Scientific Name Species epithet: **Ho** r **ridu** s.


	6. An Unwelcome Reunion Part 1

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 06: An Unwelcome Reunion Part 1**

Tria kept her distance as she watched Mr. Threehorn. He was sitting on a small hill. The midmorning sunlight was as clear and beautiful as yesterday but that only seemed to bring down his spirits. His head tilted down mournfully and his eyes didn't see the forest in front of him. All that determination, all that rough-around-the-edges charm that he brought to everything, was almost absent. What remained was someone who had his emotions ripped raw and didn't know how to cope.

*What do I say?* Tria wondered.

Mr. Threehorn and Cera had been like this since last evening. They had been almost despondent, eating only when prodded to. They appeared almost grateful when Tria suggested the family take an early lie in. None of them were in any shape to be the subject of gossip at the gathering Grandpa and Grandma Longneck called for at the meeting circle and they all needed rest to recover from the sad experience. Tria had hoped things would get a bit better in the morning. When prompted to eat, though, Cera mentioned she wasn't hungry and wished to be left alone to think. Tria attempted to engage her mate in conversation as they ate but after receiving one too many monosyllable answers, she gave up. Even she recognized there were times when others should be left to process their grief in peace.

Though Tria knew this intellectually, there was only so many hours she could watch the love of her life be sad without doing something.

Before Tria could think of her next course of action, Tricia padded over to her father, nuzzling his foreleg until she made enough room for herself to wiggle in. She rubbed against him and warbled at him with sad eyes, giving and asking for comfort in that complicated toddler way. A smile was tugged from Mr. Threehorn and he nuzzled her.

"Looks like I'm not the only sad one here, huh?" he murmured.

Tricia nodded and leaned in, closing her eyes happily at the fatherly contact. Some of Mr. Threehorn's old energy came back and he gave a low laugh as he continued to give Tricia affection.

Tria saw her cue to step forward. "Topsy?"

Mr. Threehorn looked around, some of his clarity returning. "Tria?"

"I hope this is a good time-"

"Don't worry. I've moped enough."

Mr. Threehorn turned around, gently picked Tricia up with his mouth, and sat down, depositing her on top of his forelegs where she settled down and rested. Tria stepped closer and also sat so she and Mr. Threehorn were face to face. She groped for something to say

"Are you doing alright?" Tria asked weakly.

"Oh, I'll deal with it." Mr. Threehorn said. "I already…lost them once. Having it happen again isn't fun but I'll still recover."

"It must be hard, thinking you might see them again."

"That was just this ghost thing messing with my head. I would have liked to see them again, watch the girls grow up, and be as good a father as I can be. If Littlefoot's herd leader of a father can manage it, so can I." he sighed. "But Holly, Rita, and Duane are never going to grow up. I never separated from my previous mate. That was only a made up story, inspired by arguments and misunderstandings that went unresolved when they all …at least I had yesterday. I wish it had been longer and we could have talked more but at least I got the chance to say goodbye."

Tria's heart flinched. "Oh Topsy, I'm so sorry. If I really understood what was happening, I should have waited. You should have had more time with them, but because of me…"

Mr. Threehorn shook his head. "Don't blame yourself. Maybe it was for the best. If you told us that night or today, the parting would have been harder. We could have made so many plans for future reunions and when we found out they couldn't happen…"

He sighed heavily, as though he had so much weight on his shoulders. Tricia stirred uneasily, looking up with some confusion and melancholy until Mr. Threehorn calmed her with a sad nuzzle. Tria ached at the sight.

"Topsy…"

He looked at her with regret. "I haven't been fair to you either. Not telling you I was meeting with my previous mate…it only led to more worry. From how you conducted yourself with the two of us, I should have told you everything right from the start. "

Tria was silent for a moment. "Thank you. I really appreciate you saying that. It hurt that you didn't tell me the truth. That you didn't trust me to be able to handle it." She sighed. "Though it was probably for the best you didn't tell me. If I got involved right away, I might have accidentally blown the masquerade from the start and you'd barely have spent any time with your previous mate or daughters. I wouldn't want to do something so painful to you."

"Still, I didn't know that. I believed it was true, though in retrospect…I'm happy about your understanding." Mr. Threehorn gave her a hesitant look. "If it was actually true – if I did separate from them and they were still alive – how would you react to us meeting? Would you be okay with it?"

Tria paused. "I won't lie, Topsy. I wouldn't exactly be at ease with such a reunion. It's usually not comfortable to get the ex involved. Even if you know she is a good person and she doesn't present any threat to your current relationship, feelings of jealousy are inevitable. Nevertheless, I would have tried my best to accommodate. This would have made you and Cera happy, and it'd have been sweet for Tricia to get to know her other older sisters. If this happened long enough, I could have managed my feelings enough to get along with them."

"Good." Mr. Threehorn said with a flicker of a smile. "That would have been good. I'd have liked for Tricia to get to know the other girls. Apparently, they had a lot of fun together yesterday. I would have liked to play with them too and take some weight off my previous mate's shoulders in child rearing, make her happy so – see, I'm already planning these reunions. I know they aren't practical but I can't help it," he laughed bitterly. "Life really is tough. I was the one who expressed the most doubt about ghosts being real and the very next day, I get haunted by my previous mate and daughters. I don't know if that's a reward or punishment, but either way, it showed how strong I really am."

"There's nothing wrong with being shaken by what happens." Tria said. "That's what everybody goes through. But you'll get better, Topsy. You just need time to deal with -"

"Life isn't going to give you time to get better." Mr. Threehorn interrupted. He squared his shoulders forcefully. "The valley might be safer than most places, but yesterday demonstrated there are still dangers to deal with. I need to be prepared for whatever supernatural nonsense is going to be thrown our way next or I wouldn't be a threehorn."

"Topsy, there's a difference between being cautious and not really addressing your-"

"Besides," Mr. Threehorn gazed straightly at Tria, "I don't want to burden you, Cera, or Tricia. You all have enough to deal with and I don't want to add my whining on top of it. I want the family I have now to be happy and if you're all happy" he smiled, "then so am I."

Tria stared reluctantly. She wanted to argue the point but Mr. Threehorn's last line had been so eloquent and his expression, after hours of despondency, so sincere her heart couldn't help but melt a little. At length, she sighed.

"Well, if you're _sure_ ," she said. "Just know that I'm always willing to listen."

"Don't worry, Tria." Mr. Threehorn said reassuringly. "It will be fine. In the meantime, though, I'm going to give Tricia more attention. You hear that, Tricia? I'm sorry I haven't been spending much time with you lately but I'm going to make it up to you now. How do you like that, you little goofball?"

Mr. Threehorn gave Tricia a playful nuzzle, and Tricia giggled eagerly, loving the idea. He slowly stood up, allowed Tricia to slide off his legs with a "whee!" and marched off, moving a bit faster so his youngest daughter could engage him in a game of chase. Tria watched them go with mixed emotions. On the one hand, she was happy her mate was trying to return to his parental duties, but at the same time, she felt his pain hadn't been properly dealt with and that he still didn't trust her enough to help him with it. Tria gave another sigh.

"Threehorns," she muttered, and followed them.

* * *

Littlefoot hesitated, trying to remain inconspicuous. Cera was curled up on a rock, half-lidded eyes staring at nothing. He and his friends had tracked her down here after making preparations and working up the nerve to search for her. They watched for a few minutes to see if there was an appropriate time to approach. Littlefoot didn't want to mess this up. He hurt Cera enough yesterday. He didn't want to twist the knife further. He could still remember the guilt he had the day before and the conversation he and his grandparents had thereafter about the gang's encounter with Cera, Tricia, and their ghostly sisters.

" _Why didn't you get us when you saw Cera and Tricia were being haunted?" Grandpa Longneck asked._

" _We were going too." Littlefoot replied. "But one of Cera's sisters spotted us and we couldn't leave right away without being suspicious. Only they noticed we were nervous and not looking at them, and then…"_

 _Grandma Longneck sighed. "We're so sorry you had to go through that. Though tell us, if you were able to get us, would you have requested to accompany us as we broke the news to her?"_

"… _she's my friend. She would have needed our support. Though I guess we bungled that for her."_

" _There's nothing you can do to change that. However, she will be hurting, and what you can do is help her through the hard times."_

As Cera continued to lay there and not do anything, Grandma Longneck's words filled Littlefoot with some drive. There was no point in waiting forever. He couldn't change the past but there could be something he could do to make up for it in the present. Nodding to his friends, they walked forward.

"Cera?"

Slowly, she raised her gaze. Littlefoot and the others stood in front of her, watching her tentatively.

"Are you okay?" Littlefoot continued quietly. "I know this might be a sensitive time."

"We understand leaving you alone to deal with yesterday," Ruby said, "but when today came, we wanted to make sure you were alright."

"We know you might be mad at us," Petrie said, "so we bring presents."

Cera looked around and noticed for the first time they were carrying different kinds of green food in their arms or on their backs. One by one, they started laying it at her feet.

"When people are sad, they do not eat much." Ducky said. "We want to make sure you are healthy, we do, we do."

"I remember you once said you like yellow flowers." Chomper said softly. "I hope we picked the right ones."

Something about that comment made Cera stir. She picked up one of the yellow flowers in question and gave an experimental bite. Some life came back into her eyes as she chewed. By the time Cera finished, she silently surveyed the food laid out before her with tentative but greater interest.

"Go on, eat up." On a lighter note, Ducky added. "You better do it quickly. It is taking everything Spike has not to eat some of it himself."

Spike nodded, only looking half serious as he stared mournfully at the green food that wasn't his. Giving a small laugh, Cera started picking her way through the offerings, becoming more energized the longer she ate. By the time she cleared her way through most of it, she gave a satisfied pat to her stomach and stared appreciatively at her friends.

"Thanks, guys…I – really needed that."

Those words were an ice breaker for Littlefoot and the others. Relief plain on their faces, they moved closer and sat around Cera.

"How are you really doing?" Littlefoot asked.

Cera shrugged. "It hasn't been fun. Ever since last night, I can't work up the energy to do much of anything. Even now, I feel like I wouldn't be able to put a crack in a small rock, never mind break it. Every time I try to think about something else, they come back into my head. It just keeps occurring to me I'm never going to see them again and my stupid brain keeps coming up with things I should have said to them but will never be able to now."

Littlefoot's heart wrenched and he lowered his head. "Cera, I want to apologize. We really should have given you that time to say everything. We were going to walk away but one of your sisters noticed us."

"That my fault." Petrie bowed regretfully. "Me thought we should tell you about sisters but when Ducky smartly stopped me, me too stupid to notice we stand under bright circle where we could be seen."

"Do not call yourself stupid, Petrie." Ducky said. "I stopped you but I cannot be that smart since I did not notice we could be seen too, oh yes, yes, yes."

"We couldn't think of a way to run off that wouldn't alert you to what's going on." Littlefoot continued. "I know that isn't a good excuse – we managed to talk our way out of worse binds – but –"

"It's fine, Littlefoot, all of you." Cera interrupted. She sighed. "Really, it's hard to be mad at you for long. Either way, everyone would be torn up about this. It couldn't be helped. Maybe it's better this way. The goodbyes would have been harder if we became too attached."

"Cera…"

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you yesterday. I knew that you did the best you could but…I was just so happy to be back with my sisters. I wanted to be with them as long as I could. I was also looking forward to seeing Mom again. Deep down I knew something was off but it had been so long since I saw them and that last time, it was…" resentment entered Cera's voice. "You know, at least you got to say goodbye to your mother. It might have sucked but at least you got to talk to her and she even stuck around as a spirit. Me, I didn't have that. One day, I was talking to them across a gorge, the next I'm in the valley and Dad tells me they're dead. It felt like they walked around a corner and didn't come back. As I got used to them not being around…it was as though they were never here at all. Even though I know you couldn't help it, there are times I envy you. What makes you so special your mother could still talk to you after she died, while I get nothing?

"There are also times," Cera's voice became watery, "where I wonder if Mom and my sisters are dead because of me. Not only because they were looking for me after the earthshake, but because I insulted your mother, fought with you, and some force decided to punish me by hurting them."

Heart wrenching, Littlefoot stepped closer. "Cera, no, no, no. It didn't happen like that."

"I didn't always believe in fate and curses and stuff like that, but with these ghosts, I'm starting to wonder..."

"You're not responsible for this!" Littlefoot said. "It was just an accident. What you're saying doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah," Petrie nodded, "me not good with times, but me pretty sure they died before you and Littlefoot fought."

"Unless this fate thing can go back in time, then that is not what happened, no, no, no." Ducky said.

"And even if what you say did happen," Littlefoot said fiercely, "then it's this fate or whatever's fault, not yours. Having your family dead is something I'd never have wanted."

"Really?" Cera stared dully at him. "I was such a jerk. With how angry I made you, don't tell you wouldn't have been tempted to think those bad thoughts."

Littlefoot faltered, and looked away. "Maybe," he said. "I do know my mother wouldn't have wanted this. No matter how mad you probably made her with the way you treated me, she wouldn't want to have your family hurt and would be angry if this fate did anything about it. But let us assure you, we don't believe anything magic like that happened."

"Okay." Cera's gaze lowered. "Though I still can't help thinking that if I didn't vanish off to chase hoppers that night, they'd still be alive."

"Yeah, I know that feeling." Littlefoot said quietly. "But remember Cera, our mothers and your sisters wouldn't want us to blame ourselves for what happened. They'd say we were kids: we could only have so much responsibility for what happened. I'm sure they'd think we should allow ourselves to be happy."

Cera raised her head, staring at him. After a moment, she welled up a smile. "I knew there was a reason I became your friend. Thanks, Littlefoot. You're right. I'm just being stupid. This blame game thing is helping no one. Now I'm really done being mad at you."

"Cera…" Littlefoot's chest warmed with relief. "I really am sorry for what happened. We'd have been happy to give you all the time we could've with your family."

"Now you stop blaming yourself. I admit, I'd have liked to talk with Mom more but…you all did the best you could." Cera sat up straight and stretched, a bit of her old energy returning. "Besides, this is all over with now. They are gone and there's no use thinking about them all the time. I might as well put this whole mess behind me and move on."

Littlefoot, whose spirits rose at the signs of Cera's recovery, winced. "Cera, you don't have to forget about your mother and sisters to move on."

"I'm not saying I'll forget about them." Cera replied. "There's no way I'm forgetting yesterday. As time goes on, I'll just not think as much about them."

"But…that's so sad."

Cera looked at him with annoyance. "C'mon Littlefoot. I know people love to say that they think about their dead or absent loved ones everyday but…be honest. As you get used to those who aren't around, there are days where you don't think about them. Can any of you really dispute that?"

The others averted their eyes thoughtfully or anxiously over the question.

"Me don't always think about Uncle Pterano." Petrie admitted. "Me still worry about him being safe out there but it hard to think about that all the time. There are even days me don't think about Papa and he in Great Valley!"

"It's strange, just waking up every day and not having Mommy and Daddy nearby." Chomper mumbled. "When I first came here, I thought I'd miss them too much to not think about them. As I got used to living here…I still miss them but there are days where I'm having so much fun, I forget about them," he almost looked guilty.

"I did think about my family every day at first." Ruby said. "When I wasn't worrying about my family, I was worrying about what to do and thought about what they would say to do. Now I think more and more about what I would do, and less about what they would do and what they are now doing," she rubbed her chin anxiously. "I know they know how to be safe, but I don't like not thinking about them."

"It is hard to think about all of my brother and sisters since there are so many." Ducky said. "Many of them stay with Papa. Since I am with you guys a lot, I do not think about them as much as I do all of you. Though that is not the same as what you guys have, so um…" Fidgeting, she looked at her brother. "Is it the same with Tippy and his mama, Spike?"

Spike frowned and turned the question over in his head as though it were a sour tree sweet. At last, he sighed and nodded reluctantly. Spike missed Tippy and that nice spiketail mother but he hadn't been thinking about them much. Cera looked at Littlefoot expectantly.

"I do think about my mother a lot." Littlefoot said defensively. "Maybe not every day but…" he trailed off. "I do sometimes wonder what Dad and Shorty are up to. Since they're part of a herd and know how to keep safe, I don't worry about them as much, so I guess I don't really think about them all the time."

"See, didn't I tell you?" Cera asked.

Littlefoot and the others only looked around sadly, mind now on absent loved ones. Cera's triumphant expression faded.

"Hey, I didn't want to get you guys depressed," she said gently. "I just wanted to say that not thinking about them is normal. Thinking about whether they're okay or not and what you could have said to them won't accomplish anything. It would only hurt yourself. Since they're gone, it's only natural to just move on. And here I am, trying to move on."

"If you say so." Littlefoot said dubiously. He gained a smile. "But they aren't ever really gone, Cera. Those who are dead or away live on in our hearts. I'm sure that's the same for your mother and sisters."

"Living on in my heart, huh?" Cera said, doubtful. "I don't really feel anything there."

"Maybe they are with some other part of you." Ducky suggested.

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. "Not all herds believe that the dead live on in your heart. Others believe they live on in your head or stomach or tail."

"Maybe they live on in Cera's horn." Petrie said.

Cera considered the horn on her nose wryly.

"Hey Mom, sorry for ramming my horn into that rock several days back," she said. "That must have shook you all up. I bet Holly's head is still rattling. Just tell her it was nothing personal so she won't start ramming around in there, okay?"

In spite of themselves, the gang laughed. Morbid though it was, the joke was such a breath of fresh air after almost twenty-four hours of sadness and worry, and it really signaled that Cera was back to old form. Littlefoot's spirits couldn't help but lift at the sight of Cera beating the rock with a forefoot, chuckling at the reaction to her own joke. He tried to push aside his own misgivings about Cera's doubt about her mother and sisters living on inside her and her choice to move on by not thinking as much about them. Everyone coped with loss in different ways and now wasn't the time to press her about the issue. Right now, Littlefoot was content to sit near Cera and laugh with a friend he was back on good terms with.

* * *

Papa Sharptooth breathed slowly and attempted to walk around the cave. Twinges of pain popped up and down his body, protesting the strain of long disused muscles or still unhealed wounds. He winced but bore the pain out with a bit of a smile. Battling Redclaw had severely damaged both of Chomper's parents to the point they found themselves tiring after walking or hunting, and the pain could be such that they had to lay down to rest for days at a time in order to recover. That Papa Sharptooth could move around at all without the usual agonies and exhaustion that dogged them for cold times was a significant improvement. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mate also circling to inspect her injuries.

" _Don't spin around too much, or you might become dizzy and hurt yourself_ ," Papa Sharptooth said half seriously.

" _Quiet, you_." Mama Sharptooth said distractedly. She inspected her tail. " _That last kill really helped. Getting big prey is worth the pain if it heals us faster. Soon, I bet we'll be able to hunt together_."

" _Finally_ ," he sighed. " _It feels like forever since I left this blasted hole. I never felt comfortable with letting you go out alone to get the food_."

Mama Sharptooth walked over and gave him tender nuzzle. " _I never minded. I do look forward to the hunts being less boring though_."

A purr rumbled up Papa Sharptooth's throat and he returned the nuzzle, getting closer to his mate. Mama Sharptooth was tough, yet a softie, and Papa Sharptooth felt delight whenever they got be affectionate. Their heads continued to rub against each other until a tentative cough brought them back to reality. Ruby's father stood at the cave entrance, watching them politely but with the usual tense guard that came with dealing with sharpteeth.

" _I hope I'm not interrupting anything_." Papa Fast Runner said.

Papa and Mama Sharptooth gazed at each other before strolling to meet with Papa Fast Runner, all business.

" _We were just wondering when you were going to come_." Papa Sharptooth said. " _Do you have any new information_?"

Papa Fast Runner paused to regather his thoughts. " _Talking with the bellydragger wasn't easy but she did confirm what she said when she first came around: she had a sharpbeak friend who died and came back as a ghost. Their attempted hunt in the Great Valley didn't go well and the secret got revealed in the argument they had. He vanished soon after_."

Mama and Papa Sharptooth winced. They briefly surveyed each other grimly, finding the news unwelcome but not surprising.

" _It aligns with what I've been hearing_." Mama Sharptooth said. " _There are many people claiming to have seen ghosts lately, and from what you and your mate say, it doesn't seem restricted to sharpteeth. I thought it was all nonsense at first, but when more and more started talking about it_ …"

" _I kind of hoped the bellydragger's initial rantings were simply a byproduct of grief_." Papa Fast Runner's gaze flickered worriedly. " _But if she's seen these ghosts too, like so many others…something big might be going on and I don't know what it could mean_."

" _Let's focus on what we can know then_." Papa Sharptooth stepped closer. " _When she first ranted about losing her friend, my mate said she mentioned encountering a sharptooth child in the valley. Did you – did she say anything about what happened to Chomper_?"

Papa Fast Runner smiled reassuringly. " _Not to worry. The bellydragger and her ghostly friend were unable to really harm any of our children. From what little she did say about Chomper, his friends did a good job of looking after him. They were the ones that got the bellydragger and sharpbeak to argue in the first place_."

" _Chomper has a good taste in friends. At least they are able to keep him safe_." Papa Sharptooth muttered.

Mama Sharptooth sent him a stern look. " _Dear, don't start_."

" _Why not? It's one more strike in their favor_."

" _This isn't a competition. Letting your mind down that path will only have you eating at yourself and that isn't going to accomplish anything. Just concentrate on the fact our boy's safe and he's with those who love him. That's all that matters_."

Papa Sharptooth held his mate's gaze until he sighed and looked away.

" _I know,_ " he said." _I know those thoughts aren't helping. But those leaf eaters – our food – are doing a better job of protecting Chomper than us. Heck, not only are they keeping our son safe from Redclaw. They are making him a laughingstock! It's hard not to think about what we've been doing_."

There was a moody silence. Papa Sharptooth lowered his eyes. Being frequently laid up by their injuries had left Chomper's parents a lot of time to think, to go over what they had accomplished. One pattern they couldn't ignore was their mistakes in protecting Chomper. Only through luck or the intervention of those leaf eater youths was he saved. Sometimes, it was the parents' mistakes that ended up endangering Chomper in the first place. Papa and Mama Sharptooth had been trying to put those thoughts out of their mind, that all parents made mistakes, but with their son's absence, they were hard to ignore.

Gaze flicking down briefly, Papa Fast Runner coughed. " _If it's any comfort, when Ruby briefly visited with some of the children, Chomper took time to ask how you two were doing. He seemed happy to be with his friends but I got the sense he misses you two terribly. Don't think too badly about yourselves. Whatever mistakes you've made, he still adores you two_."

Papa Sharptooth welled up a smile. " _You're right. He's not making a big deal out of this like I am. Sorry. I'm being more immature than my_ -"

There was a faint rumble. Chomper's parents and Ruby's father immediately turned to the sound's direction, wondering if they had imagined it. But another rumble soon followed, a bit closer. Then another and another, the rhythmic beat of a large dinosaur walking on two feet. The three tensed as the sound neared. These were the footsteps of another sharptooth.

" _Hide_." Mama Sharptooth whispered.

Papa Fast Runner nodded and the three backed away quietly into the cave. They stood in the shadows, listening warily as those footsteps grew loud with proximity. Encountering another sharptooth would have made them cautious enough. Not many of them were a sociable lot. But these footsteps were the drumbeat of someone consumed by a mission and it was dangerous to stand in the way of those sharpteeth. Papa Sharptooth, Mama Sharptooth, and Papa Fast Runner held their breaths as the footsteps became their loudest yet.

Then a figure appeared, his features made clear in the sunshine. Mama Sharptooth breathed in sharply.

" _No, that's can't be him_ ," she said. " _That's_ impossible!"

* * *

"So, what was last night's meeting like?" Cera asked. "Do I even want to know?"

Littlefoot rolled over to look at Cera. "Don't worry, barely anyone said anything about you. Everyone was mostly concerned about the ghost thing happening for a third time."

"More than a few were shocked that we encountered ghosts for a second, or in Littlefoot's case, third time." Ruby said. "I can still hear that flyer Don saying 'again?' after Grandpa and Grandma Longneck explained what happened. Littlefoot's grandparents tried to keep us from being the focus but we were still noticed."

"Well, we do tend to get into the middle of weirdness." Cera admitted. "Still, it is surprising that we're now getting into the middle of ghost weirdness."

"Mr. Thicknose talked about trying to find a clue about the ghosts." Ducky explained. "There was an argument about how, since where would you begin? There wouldd be a lot of looking around and few would know what they would be looking for, no, no, no."

"So Grandpa Longneck said to stop and talk about it later." Petrie said. "They right. It big problem, so it need lots of talking to solve. Many grownups worried though. They want to find answers, especially since word by flyer is that a herd's coming tomorrow. But while they talk, will ghosts continue appearing?"

"That might be likely." Ruby said. "Maybe it's a good idea to think about who might come back next before the next person who comes back surprises us. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"Maybe our grandparents?" Littlefoot said reluctantly. "Of course, I still have mine, but I think my dad's have passed on. Are any of your grandparents still alive?"

There was a unified shaking of heads.

"I never really knew them." Cera admitted. "Dad mentions them sometimes but he doesn't talk too much about them."

"My parents barely mentioned them at all." Chomper said.

There were nods of agreement to those statements.

"Either our parents miss them in ways that we miss, or they have moved on from their deaths." Ruby said.

"What about Spike's original parents?" Ducky said. "Well, Spike? Erm, have you had any strange thoughts about them being alive lately?"

Spike's forehead creased in thought and he shook his head. He never knew them and was quite content being part of Ducky's family, his family. The most he ever felt about his birth parents was a distant wistfulness. Cera gazed keenly at Littlefoot.

"What about you, Littlefoot?" she asked. "Maybe something will happen involving your mother. It would be nice to see her again, right?"

Littlefoot's eyes turned skyward. The thought of hearing his mother's voice again, to feel even the ghost of her comforting touch, stirred a longing ache in his chest. For a moment, he allowed hope to surge through him…

But then the illusion broke and Littlefoot's long neck bent with the weight of reality.

"No," he said quietly. "No, I don't think she'll come back."

"Uh…how do you know?" Petrie asked tentatively.

"I don't know." Littlefoot rubbed his chest vaguely. "It just doesn't feel like it'll happen. Maybe it's because…she was content in the end. She wouldn't be part of this."

The others gazed at him sympathetically. Coughing, Littlefoot saw to detract attention from himself.

"So any other ideas?" he asked.

"What about others in valley?" Petrie said. "They might have dead family and friends that might come back. It happen with Hyp. Maybe we find out where it happen next?"

"Are you suggesting we walk up to every person in the valley and ask if they know someone who's dead?" Cera said dryly. "Nah, I'm not catching that heat."

"Well, it an idea." Petrie said defensively.

"How about the sharpteeth you fought?" Chomper suggested. When the others looked at him, he said. "What? From your stories, you dealt with a lot of sharpteeth. There could be more than one that didn't make it."

"Hmm." Cera rubbed her chin. "That's an interesting idea. Sharpteeth do seem to hold grudges. But I can't think of any we fought lately that died."

"We fought a lot of them, we did." Ducky said. "It is hard to remember all of them, it is, it is."

"We better remember, though." Petrie said nervously. "What if one of them come back to try to hurt us. That very bad."

Ruby nodded. "Chomper brought up a very good point. Not only could the ghosts of our loved ones come back, but the ghosts of our enemies might also return. Even if it might not happen today, it's better to prepare before that today comes. Do you think any of the sharpteeth you fought have died – well, besides the obvious?"

Ruby and Chomper watched as Littlefoot and the others creased their foreheads, briefly with confusion, then in thought. Littlefoot went through his many memories of fighting sharpteeth, which was admittedly more extensive than any child his age should be. Upon being confronted by danger, he and his friends became pragmatic. If a certain action could save their lives from a sharptooth, they were going to pursue it even if it might kill the predator. There was little time to consider the moral implications of what they did. It was an unpleasant necessity Littlefoot tried not to consider too closely.

Now he ran through his memories of his last sights of their defeated sharpteeth. So far, all the mental images that came to his attention showed sharpteeth that were still from grogginess or unconsciousness but showed little signs of being dead. Even when they were completely buried by rocks, Littlefoot had a hard time thinking that had killed them. Littlefoot frowned and delved deeper into his memories, feeling like he was missing something.

Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike had identical looks of concentration as they went through their own memories. When the silence went on for too long, Ruby spoke up.

"Well?" she asked. "Any ideas?"

"Hmm, no. Still can't think of anyone." Cera said. "I mean, all the sharpteeth we deal with always seem to get back up. Like those fast biters who got swept up after we unblocked the Thundering Falls. They managed to swim their way out."

Petrie nodded. "Me remember that. Me also remember Littlefoot's grandpa and Doc burying sharpteeth in rocks but they appear just knocked out. We didn't linger to check."

"There was also that sharptooth that fell into the big water." Ducky said. "You were there for that, Chomper. Sharpteeth do not seem like good swimmers. But from where he was being swept away to, he could have got to land and climbed out."

"Yeah, that's also likely." Chomper said. "But are you sure there's not a few sharpteeth that didn't survive? With how many you ran across, there are bound to be some who you hit in the wrong way or made to fall head first off a cliff. There must be a few who hold a grudge."

"It's not like we had time to learn their personal details while they tried to eat us." Cera said.

"For all we know, all of them hold grudges." Petrie said.

"From your stories, there is one that did hold a particular grudge." Ruby said, with a bit of pointedness.

For a second, there was some blankness. Then everyone cottoned on.

"Right, the first sharptooth we dealt with. The one who took…Mother's life." Littlefoot said, with effort. When the others glanced at him sympathetically, Littlefoot hurried on. "He was pretty persistent. He seemed to stalk us all the way to the Great Valley before we took care of him."

"Oh, that guy." Ducky said. "It was so scary having to hide in the water to get away from him."

Petrie shuddered. "If me didn't learn how to fly then, not all of us would have made it."

"And if I didn't come in time, he probably would've eaten you all." Cera raised her head proudly. "At least we didn't have to deal with him again. After that boulder into the pond, I think he took the hint."

"That was a pretty big hint you dropped on him." Ruby said. "Maybe he got how big it was as he was drowning."

Littlefoot stirred of confusion. "Drowning…what are you talking about?"

"Yeah," Cera said, "he got out of the water and ran like a scaredy-egg."

Ruby suddenly stilled. "You…heard about him surviving?"

Petrie tilted his head ponderingly. "Well…we kind of saw it."

"We did not see much." Ducky added. "We did not stick around after what we did, oh no, no, no."

Chomper and Ruby watched Littlefoot and the others with a nervous bewilderment that chilled Littlefoot's tummy. The pair exchanged looks before Chomper spoke up.

"But…you told us how you defeated that sharptooth so many times. None of you said anything about him getting out of the water."

"I swear we did bring it up, right Spike?" Ducky said.

Spike began to nod but froze. Looking uncertain, he placed a paw on his head, like he was having the beginnings of a headache. Noticing Ruby and Chomper's expressions, Cera stood sharply.

"Stop confusing us," she said. "He ran away."

"Is this really happening?" Ruby looked disquieted. "Tales do change with every telling, but you always told us he never came back."

"You must not remember right." Petrie said.

"But we do remember." Chomper insisted shakily. "Oh, no. You know what this means, right?"

"What does what mean? Is this a game?" Ducky rubbed her hands nervously. "You can stop now. You are freaking me out."

"You're freaking us out." Ruby said. "In the end, he drowned. You always told us he drowned."

Littlefoot shook his head, the movement a bit harder with fear. "I don't know where you're getting this. We always said he lived-"

"No!" Chomper said desperately. "None of you ever said that. No matter how many times you told the story, you always said he was dead!"

Everyone stared at Chomper. Then Cera seemed to be struck by the same headache as Spike, gripping her head and groaning. She went rigid.

"They're telling the truth." Cera said slowly. "This headache…I had one just like this yesterday when I realized my mother and sisters weren't…alive. Which means…if we felt this for that sharptooth…"

Silence descended. Abruptly, Ducky gripped her head and whimpered. Petrie shuddered and dragged his fingers across his temples. Littlefoot trembled as throbbing rocked his forehead, beating like a heart, each thrum a bit less painful than the last but leaving behind a terrible iron cold in the veins. Dawning fear came across each face present. They all knew the implications of this memory lapse.

Watching their surroundings closely, Ruby and Chomper edged closer to the group. Spike collapsed and shaded his eyes as though the bright circle was too brilliant. Ducky hugged her brother, her breaths shuddering. Petrie gripped Cera's foot, shivering. Cera didn't notice. She stared, her skin ashen. Reluctant, dreading, Littlefoot stood.

"No," he said. "No. It can't be."

A bellow cut through the silence. Littlefoot and the others jumped. The blood-curdling scream passed as a shockwave, reaching one end of the Great Valley to the other. It vibrated the air, the earth, and reached into the core of every living being until not even Littlefoot and the others could deny the full truth, the horrible truth. The sound seemed to go on forever, coming from a deep, molten fury that no sky water could quench. When the last of those awful echoes gave way to quiet, Littlefoot swung his head about, desperate to locate the source, but so full of fear, not wanting to see what he would lay eyes upon.

Then he saw it. They all saw it. A shape, so distant, standing on top of a Great Wall mountain, frozen, as if a rock formation. It was so far away yet that distinct countenance made Littlefoot and the others feel vulnerable, like it was standing right in front of them. Chomper stepped forward, eyes on the sharptooth silhouette, understanding and just as scared.

"'Vengeance,'" he whispered.

* * *

The sharptooth _**surveyed the valley before him**_. He had chosen a high place to announce his presence but _**he could still see the tiny shapes starting to mill about, their voices occasionally becoming audible in panic.**_ He sniffed and stared with longing. Before, when he had been near that pond, he had caught the scent of so many leaf eaters and could only guess why such a variety were grouped nearby. To think that such a wonderful place existed, with plentiful green food to make the leaf eaters plump and ready to be feasted on by sharpteeth clever enough to penetrate it defenses…

"…sharptooth is here!"

"Oh, no!"

"…do we run?"

The sharptooth paused in confusion. Amid the panicking leaf eater babble, did some of it become…understandable for him?

 _ **Well, no matter**_. The sharptooth put that and his appetite out of his mind. He came for something more than filling his belly. Those damned _**seven**_ – seven? No – five kids were there: the longneck, the threehorn, the big-mouthed swimmer, the flyer, and the spiketail. Only the longneck and threehorn had humiliated him by injuring his eye and deigning to make him a ramming toy respectively but the others have racked up offences during that boulder stunt that have made them also worthy of death. Even if those three kids had done nothing to the sharptooth, their mere association with the longneck and threehorn made them guilty.

He breathed in nasally and was only slightly gratified to smell fear mixed in with their scents. The sharptooth wouldn't be content until _**the children's flight or fight instincts were tested, exhausted to the brink**_. Until they were taken hold by the despair of being at death's door, alternating between begging for mercy or wishing for him to eat them so the torment would be over with. Whatever they wished for, the sharptooth would do the opposite and he would milk all the retribution he could out of them.

For it had been a great crime for those leaf eater youths _**to stand against him**_. Not only did they run away from him. _**That was**_ the _**annoying**_ but natural risk one had to accept when your primary food source was capable of independent locomotion. No, these children thought they could _fight_ back, outwit him and be the perpetrators of his own demise. By all rights, they should have died but before the sharptooth knew what was happening, they sent him falling into the pond, weighed by an enormous boulder. As water filled his lungs and he struggled against its weight, fury and humiliation ran through him. They had done more than _**bruise his ego**_. They damaged his pride more than even any rival sharptooth had and that _**wouldn't go unpunished**_. They would suffer. Even if it was the last thing he ever did, the sharptooth would make sure to end their miserable lives, even if he had to take down every valley denizen that stood in his way.

Bloodlust dominating his mind, the sharptooth moved down from his perch and entered the valley.

* * *

Littlefoot and the others ran. Around them, people moved quickly in all directions, lost in fear, searching for shelter, making a desperate beeline for loved ones. Several crashed bodily into each other or dithered on the spot, not knowing where to go. But the seven found it easy to sail around and under the maze of swift and clumsy limbs, never slowing, never distracted, all focused on the one objective they were so desperate to reach.

"Grandma!" Littlefoot shouted. "Grandpa!"

"Daddy!" Cera yelled. "Tria! Tricia!"

"Mama, where are you!" Petrie cried.

"Mama!" Ducky hollered.

Spike opened his mouth and called out with all of his lung power. Chomper and Ruby, with no family in the Great Valley, could only watch stricken when their friends' calls received no answer.

"Oh, where are they?" Littlefoot panted. "What do we do?"

"I am sure they are looking for us as much as we are looking for them." Ducky said.

"I'm sure I can hurry that up." Chomper said. "My sniffer can find them."

"Then get sniffing before that sharptooth sniffs us out!" Petrie said.

Chomper got to the front and led the group, still dodging panicked valley denizens. He paused every now and then to get a better catch of the scent but the more seconds passed, the more confident he became.

"Are they together or apart?" Cera asked anxiously. "Because if they're apart, then we're more screwed then we already are."

"Don't worry, they're together." Chomper said. "All their smells are close. C'mon!"

Relief flooding them, they continued running. Eventually they came across an eye of calm amidst the storm of panic. Their parents stood in a great clearing shouting for others to slow down, directing them to evacuation routes, and clarifying the danger with the information they had. As Littlefoot and the others got closer, they could tell their parents were strained trying to induce some measure of composure back into people desperate to find shelter.

"We don't know how the sharptooth got in." Grandpa Longneck was saying. "Now please, follow Mr. Thicknose to the caves in the right Great Wall."

"For the last time, calm yourself!" Mr. Threehorn said impatiently. "You won't survive any better by losing your head."

"Yes, I believe you'll be safe up there." Mama Swimmer said. "I'm sure because you can fly!"

"I know you're scared." Mama Flyer said. "But we beg you to pass along this hideout information to anyone you can find."

"Do we know where everyone is?" Tria glanced around anxiously. "Cera? Where's Cera?"

"And Littlefoot and his friends." Grandma Longneck raised her neck to look at the Great Valley wall. "Oh, I hope they aren't right in the thick of danger again."

"We're alright!" Littlefoot shouted. "We're here!"

Fear drained from each parent's face as they and the gang rushed to meet up with one another.

"Good, you're all where you should be." Mr. Threehorn said. "I'd better not hear you were inches away from that sharptooth."

"We weren't, for once!" Cera said.

"But we've been that close before." Littlefoot stepped forward. "Grandma, Grandpa, it's that sharptooth, the one who killed Mother."

There was a hitch in breath from the parents.

"That sharptooth?" Grandpa Longneck said sharply. "How do you know?"

"You told us you drowned him." Grandma Longneck said.

"That is the reason why he is back." Ducky said. "He is angry at us for killing him and that roar was about him wanting revenge. Chomper said so."

"He's a ghost." Cera said. "Remember what happened yesterday when we found out Mom and my sisters were dead? Five of us believed he was alive and we had headaches when Ruby and Chomper told us he wasn't. He's going to come after us."

"He is?" Mr. Threehorn asked.

The gang's parents stared at them. The concept of their children's attempted murderer coming back to terrorize the seven filled most of their faces with open fear. All of the parents, even Tria, remember the stories the gang told of the sharptooth's ruthless pursuit of them and what they were forced to do to survive. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck looked almost petrified. From their personal loss, they knew what the sharptooth going after their grandson meant. Even Mr. Threehorn showed the faintest ripples of fear across his face. Oddly, life then surged back into him.

"If he is, then he's going to have to go through us, literally," he continued. "If the past ghosts are any indication, he won't be so tough."

"Be careful what you say." Petrie said nervously. "He really mad. That could make him strong."

"But Mr. Threehorn might be right." Mama Flyer said firmly. "Since you kids realized he's dead, then the illusion will be broken for him and he won't be around for long. In the meantime, you kids need to get underground as soon as possible."

"Underground? What do you mean?" Ducky said. "Wait, where are our brothers and sisters?"

"We've left them in the care of Big Daddy and the Tinysauruses." Mama Swimmer said. "As long as they stay away from any holes, the sharptooth shouldn't be able to notice or get to them."

"Guido was sent along as an extra pair of eyes." Tria said. "He'll keep Tricia calm. Between him and Big Daddy, the kids should be safe."

"You all should join them." Grandma Longneck said. "See that bush? There's a hole hidden there. Hop in, and look for Big Daddy. If Spike and Chomper use their noses, you should be able to find him. In the meantime, we'll work together to take care of this sharptooth."

"What? Don't!" Littlefoot said, panicked.

"Didn't you hear the part where he killed Littlefoot's mother?" Cera said. "He's not like the other sharpteeth we've dealt with!"

"And you can't kill someone who's already dead!" Petrie said.

"But we can deter him until he goes away." Grandpa Longneck said. "As Petrie's mother said, previous ghosts haven't been around for long when the truth comes out. Hopefully the pattern holds and we can distract him until he leaves. Are all of you ready for this?" he asked the other parents.

"Of course." Grandma Longneck said. "I'm not letting you do this alone."

"Fighting a ghost does sound unnerving." Mama Swimmer shook herself. "But I want to make sure he doesn't torment the children again. Besides, he can't really touch us, right?"

"From what I hear, the worst he can do is make us cold." Mama Flyer said unsurely. "But we should be prepared for anything. I'm ready."

"I'm already ready." Mr. Threehorn said firmly. He glanced at Tria with concern. "You don't have to do this, Tria. This might be a ghost, but a sharptooth can be very intimidating, so -"

"I'm helping you." Tria said stubbornly. "What's the use of learning how to use my horns if I'm not going to use them? Besides, this guy will need numbers to drive him off and every volunteer counts."

Mr. Threehorn nodded, though he still appeared reluctant. Before he could reply, a distant boom shook the earth. Another roar split the air, angry, commanding. Whatever dinosaurs were still nearby hastily ran for it. Chomper turned to them terrified.

"He's demanding to know where Littlefoot and the others are," he said.

"Littlefoot, take your friends and stay underground." Grandma Longneck said.

Despite knowing the sharptooth was a ghost, Littlefoot and the others were scared. Most of them remembered how the sharptooth nearly robbed them of so much, of what he already robbed, and their minds couldn't help coming up with ways the sharptooth could harm their families. The gang's instincts were screaming that something was wrong. Pleading, five of them approached their parents.

Littlefoot shook his head. "No, please don't do this."

"Stay away from the holes as long as you can." Mama Flyer said. "Don't attract any attention to yourself."

"Don't fight him, Mama." Petrie pleaded.

"If you must get food, do so quietly and don't move quickly unless you need to run." Mama Swimmer said.

"Mama, let's run." Ducky said. "Let's just run!"

Spike put his paws on Mama Swimmer's leg, nodding desperately. But Mama Swimmer pushed him and Ducky away.

"Cera, look after Tricia." Mr. Threehorn said.

Tria took a deep breath. "Be a good sister to her. Hopefully, we won't be long with this."

"Then stop talking like you won't be here!" Cera said.

Littlefoot looked between his grandparents, looked at his friends' parents. The rumbling steps grew closer, closer. A sense of unreality came over him. He watched his grandparents raise their heads, Mr. Threehorn and Tria lower their horns, Mama Swimmer straighten and bear her fists, and Mama Flyer perch on the highest tree to flare her wings. Whether they were scared or not, all of them were ready to fight what could and had killed before. Even with being dead, could the sharptooth kill again? The concept of any of them not being alive by the sunset was just too much for Littlefoot.

*What do I do? This is my responsibility. How do I stop this?*

The rumbling steps became louder, punctuated by a roar that sought blood. Even as the others started backing away and Ruby pushed him to go with them, Littlefoot remained rooted beside his grandparents, desperate to make the seriousness of the situation clear.

"Listen, you can't do this." Littlefoot said. "Anything might happen. If he gets you – if you're not here, I'll-"

Then the rumbling got to its loudest yet and everyone was distracted completely when the sharptooth came into view.

Littlefoot's breath was stolen. It was as though he had been transported back to before the boulder dropped. The sharptooth's hide was the same dark, earthy green Littlefoot remembered, rippling with muscle. Those enormous, pointed teeth hadn't changed – they had easily rend flesh from his defiant mother. Worst of all were the eyes. One was bruised and veined from an unfortunate encounter with thorns but both were a livid red that drew no quarter when seeking what they wanted. Those eyes focused on the grownups in front of him and a rumble bubbled from deep within his throat, incensed this group even dreamed of blocking his path.

That red gaze flickered to the young dinosaurs. Chomper stepped back as the sharptooth froze on him, taking in the young predator's presence among leaf eaters, before noting a cringing Ruby, the straggler between the worlds of plant eating and meat eating. Gradually, he zoomed in on Cera, Petrie, Ducky, Spike, who were completely frozen, wanting but unable to look away. At last, he focused on the still Littlefoot. The sharptooth drank the longneck child in longingly, absorbing every detail. Littlefoot was terrified when the sharptooth nasally breathed in, watching him with eyes that knew him as certainly as Littlefoot knew the sharptooth.

The sharptooth's muscles quivered as those eyes narrowed – _found you._

A snarl twisted the sharptooth's mouth, and he charged. Several booms followed as the parents took a unified step forward, answering with bellowing roars that made the sharptooth skid to a halt. That didn't discourage the sharptooth for long, as he soon gave another challenging roar, but it bought enough time for Grandpa Longneck to quickly turn to Littlefoot and the others.

"Go, Littlefoot!" Grandpa Longneck cried. "All of you, go!"

That snapped the gang out of their terror-stricken shock. Ruby and Cera zipped over, grabbed Littlefoot, and dragged him to the hole under the bushes. With the leaves and branches pushed out of the way, the others hopped in one at a time. As Ruby jumped into the hole, Littlefoot looked back in time to see the sharptooth make another go only for the parents to loudly remind him with another set of screams and bellows who stood in his way. He saw the sharptooth's murderous anger focus on his grandparents.

"Grandma!" Littlefoot yelled. "Grandpa!"

"Littlefoot, come on!" Cera said.

Growling, Cera shoved him into the hole. Littlefoot flailed as he tumbled and struck the tunnel floor hard. Dazed, Littlefoot blinked up and scrambled out of the way as Cera hopped down and landed on the spot he laid in a second ago. The others had backed away when Littlefoot came down and now Ruby and Spike helped Littlefoot to his feet as yet another roar broke the air.

"Hurry!" Petrie said. "Sharptooth might push his head through at any moment."

"Chomper, can you sniff out where Big Daddy and our brothers and sisters are?" Ducky asked.

Chomper took a whiff and nodded. "I think I have them. Let's go."

Littlefoot looked up at the hole, hearing bellows and the slightest whooshes and whips of an exchange of blows. He wanted to peak up, to make sure his grandparents and the other parents were alright. But Cera nudged him again and he reluctantly joined the rest of his friends walking down the tunnel.

The sounds of fighting gave way somewhat to the booms of heavy feet. Every time there was a consecutive series of booms or a moment of quiet, Littlefoot imagination went wild. Do those noises mean their parents had gotten the upper hand and they were driving the sharptooth into a corner? Or was he hearing the sounds of struggle? Were their parents moving quickly to avoid a dangerous blow? Was the quiet a signal they were trying to regroup? Littlefoot could see his friends' gazes nervously rove the top of the tunnels, those same questions plaguing them.

The sharptooth's roars maintained their angry edge but as the murmurs of battle proceeded on, the parents' calls started to gain a note of confusion and desperation. No matter how much Littlefoot reminded himself of the sharptooth's current ghostly nature, he couldn't remain calm. There were no agonized screams that indicated the infliction of a serious injury but the more the fight above continued, the tenser Littlefoot became. At last, he stopped and closed his eyes.

"Oh, I just can't stand it." Littlefoot said. "Our parents are fighting the sharptooth and all we're doing is staying down here hoping they'll win."

"Well, what do you expect us to do?" Cera asked. "We barely took him down when he was just a regular sharptooth. How do we even hurt him now he doesn't have a body?"

"Maybe he needs to be reminded he's a ghost." Ducky suggested. "When that sharpbeak found out he was dead, he and that bellydragger got so upset they ran away, they did."

"That might work with those two but this _the_ sharptooth." Petrie said. "He scarier than everyone else that try to eat us put together."

"But he's still a ghost, yes?" Ruby said. "The sharpbeak wasn't able to pick up Ducky and that was before he even knew he was a ghost. He won't think he's not a ghost if your parents go through him. So maybe the sharptooth won't be able to do as much harm as we fear."

"I don't know." Chomper said. "He still looked pretty solid for a ghost and that was after we knew he was one."

Littlefoot was quiet for a second. "That's right. He was pretty solid. I couldn't see through him at all. None of the other ghosts we met looked very solid after we found out what they were, right?"

The others became silent. They had been too panicked by the sharptooth's appearance to notice but now that they looked back, he was indeed as solid as though he was alive. Spike made a noise of agreement – his expression revealed he thought the sharptooth was concernedly lifelike and the others couldn't help concurring. Littlefoot only found himself more distressed.

"That's only more reason why I want to make sure the grownups are doing alright," he continued. "We barely know how these ghosts work and what we do know, the sharptooth doesn't seem to be following as much. Please, you all don't have to get involved. I'll just poke my head out and watch to make sure nothing bad's happening."

Cera gazed hard. "And if something bad is happening, then what?"

Littlefoot breathed deeply. "I – I don't know. But I don't think any of us would be comfortable with something going wrong with our folks while we're not there, right?"

The others fidgeted and glanced amongst themselves in uncomfortable agreement. Face faltering with pained anxiety, an echo of yesterday's events, Cera glanced away before forcing herself to look at Chomper.

"Where's the nearest hole to all that drama?" she asked.

Chomper managed to sniff out one such hole and led them to it. They soon approached afternoon light shining down from an opening. The hubbub of conflict echoed loudly. Fortunately, there was a ledge underneath the opening. Littlefoot climbed on and used his long neck to cautiously peak out. Fortunately, a nearby tree blocked the hole from view, so he could observe the distant battle without fear of being spotted.

What Littlefoot saw made his heart jump up his throat.

Currently, the sharptooth was surrounded by the parents, roaring defiantly as it searched for a way out. The fact no one had visible injuries provided Littlefoot with some relief but there was the fact the parents possessed an edge of exhaustion. The flaps of Mama Flyer's wings were a bit quicker. Mama Swimmer's shoulders heaved as she drew in breath. Topsy and Tria's guarded stances weren't as strong. But Littlefoot noticed this most in his grandparents. They were slightly breathless and they moved not with the swiftness they had in previous sharpteeth battles. Littlefoot winced when the sharptooth lunged at Grandma Longneck and she barely dodged to snap her tail at him.

Or at least, that was her intention. Her tail went right through the sharptooth as though he was nothing more than a mirage. The sharptooth backed off briefly, annoyed but none the worse for wear. Grandma Longneck noticed, and she began to appear frustrated.

"This is a stalemate," she said. "I appreciate we aren't getting hurt but we aren't exactly discouraging him either."

Growling, the sharptooth stood on his soles and snapped at Mama Flyer. The flyer hastily ascended out of reach and then circled down to thrust at his chest. Mama Flyer ended up passing through and out of the sharptooth's back. The sharptooth screeched in frustration while Mama Flyer shivered as though having passed through a cold breeze.

"That isn't something I ever want to get used to." Mama Flyer muttered.

Mr. Threehorn looked irritated. "Why are you dodging when he can't hit you?"

Mama Swimmer swung her fist and it went through the sharptooth's arm. She leapt back when his claws swung back at her. "I'd like to see you try to throw away a lifetime of survival instinct," she retorted. "It's hard to ignore when he looks as solid as any living sharptooth."

"Isn't it strange?" Grandpa Longneck said. "Our hits keep going through him yet he's barely reacting. Does he even notice?"

"Perhaps it's his anger." Grandma Longneck said. "When you're really furious about something, it can blind you to details even if they're staring you right in the face."

"Hmpth, I can fix that." Mr. Threehorn stepped forward. "Step aside. I'll make sure he goes away faster."

"Topsy, be careful." Tria warned.

"Yes, we can't be rash with what we don't understand." Grandpa Longneck said.

"But we can't afford to be too cautious when our children are at risk." Mr. Threehorn said.

Before anyone could reply, he made a ramming charge. His horns went through the sharptooth's chest. The sharptooth backed away in annoyance but Mr. Threehorn wasn't content. He rammed at the stomach this time, making the sharptooth retreat some more. With a father's determination, Mr. Threehorn thrust his horns toward the sharptooth again and again, making the latter slowly back up.

Somewhat encouraged, the other parents followed Mr. Threehorn's lead. Tria thrust her horns alongside her husband, Mama Flyer made swooping stabs with her beak and feet, and Mama Swimmer threw out her fists. Even Littlefoot's grandparents joined in despite their clear misgivings, defending the others by whipping their tails. Together, as a united front they were making the sharptooth walk back the way he came. Littlefoot felt a flicker of hope. The sharptooth was still reacting with his usual anger and irritation but perhaps Grandma Longneck was right. If nothing else, the gang did know the sharptooth for his intense fury and focus, so he likely wasn't aware of his state. Maybe the grownups could rectify that. Maybe the sharptooth could disappear without much violence after all.

Mr. Threehorn scoffed as he rammed once more. "Hmpth, some sharptooth you are. You might be ugly but you're not scary."

Even as he was compelled to step back again, the sharptooth showed a flicker of odd confusion before that was swiftly overcome by an incensed growl. It appeared he grasped the gist of what Mr. Threehorn was saying. Grandpa Longneck glanced around warningly.

"Mr. Threehorn, don't provoke him," he said.

"What's he going to do, walk through us? He can't understand us anyway." Mr. Threehorn said. "You won't be able to get what you came for, sharptooth – we'll make sure of that. So go back, back to where you came from. Go!"

The sharptooth hissed and abruptly swung his tail at them. The parents jerked back but it merely went through them. Mr. Threehorn only snorted and charged again. The sharptooth staggered away. Bent down slightly, sides heaving, he raised his head to stare at them with an almighty, growing resentment. The others were getting nervous.

"He seems to be understanding you pretty well to me." Mama Flyer said.

"Ha, he can just understand my tone." Mr. Threehorn returned his attention to the sharptooth. "That didn't do anything. Face it, you're yesterday's news. You're just vainly trying to reclaim former glory and from where I'm standing, it's pathetic."

The sharptooth opened his jaws wide and screamed. Manically, he swiped his claws through Mr. Threehorn's muzzle, horns, and frill until he was breathless. From how Mr. Threehorn stared coldly at his opponent, they were as effective as a cold draft.

"Are you done yet?" Mr. Threehorn rocked his horns defiantly. "Stop terrifying our children! You might have been the most dangerous meat eater around but those glory days are over. Here we see you for what you really are – a smelly, dumb old sharptooth who doesn't have a clear head on his shoulders, whose pride is as useful as pile of pebbles-"

"Topsy, watch what you're saying!" Tria warned.

"- and who has nothing that makes a sharptooth a sharptooth – you can't hit, you can't hurt, you can't kill. Face it, you're a tiny crawler who thinks his bark is his bite and that makes you nothing more than a flailing punk who everyone laughs at!"

The sharptooth's irises contracted. He swept an arm back, snapped his claws out, and swung those two lethal digits toward Mr. Threehorn's indifferent face. They veered closer, closer…

And closed firmly, solidly, around Mr. Threehorn's left horn. Mr. Threehorn's expression faltered.

"W-what?"

The sharptooth's spare hand grabbed the right horn, and pulled. Mr. Threehorn's feet left the ground as the sharptooth swung hard and let him go. Mr. Threehorn cried out as he was sent flying. He crashed into the forest line and slumped, several trees groaning before toppling on him like dominos. Mr. Threehorn only stirred a bit and moaned.

The parents stared, shocked. They were interrupted when the sharptooth slowly turned to them, growling ominously.

"Oh dear." Grandpa Longneck said.

The sharptooth screamed, and rushed in. He turned and his tail struck at Mama Swimmer. She gasped, all the oxygen leaving her. Panicked, Mama Flyer attempted to zip up but the sharptooth grabbed her wing and slammed her into the ground once, twice, three times. Before anyone could react, he threw Mama Flyer into Mama Swimmer, toppling the latter off her feet and leaving the pair in a daze. Tria hollered and charged. To her shock, her horns still phased through but the sharptooth head-butted her and slashed her flank with his claws. Tria yelled, and her legs buckled. Grandma and Grandpa Longneck stepped around her, angry.

"Now you see here-" Grandma Longneck began.

The sharptooth's strong tail whammed into her chest before she could get another word in. Her eyes widened and she struggled to get air back in her lungs. Grandpa Longneck rammed his head down only to be head-butted by the sharptooth's stronger and faster cranium. Grandpa Longneck rose up, dazed, and the sharptooth took the opportunity to body slam the elderly couple. Littlefoot's grandparents staggered off, not looking as solid on their feet as dinosaurs of their size should be. The sharptooth prowled toward them but there was a cry out from the side and Mr. Threehorn stormed in, making the sharptooth jump away.

"I'm not out yet!" Mr. Threehorn declared.

Grandpa Longneck panted. "How's he doing that? How's he physically hurting us?"

"How did he understand leaf eater?" Grandma Longneck said. "That was more than understanding tone. You can't learn a language that quickly."

"I don't think we have time to get answers for these questions." Mama Flyer said urgently.

For the sharptooth still stood in front of them, only another brief look of odd confusion interrupting his powerful and confident countenance. The others picked themselves up and gathered back together, a little punch drunk, unnerved, but still ready to continue fighting. The sharptooth growled, and initiated the next round.

Littlefoot watched, transfixed, as they exchanged blows. Soon, it became clear that this was an unfair battle. Whenever the parents tried to hurt the sharptooth, whether with horns, tails, or other offensive body parts, the attack passed through him like mist. In response, the sharptooth used his own variety of physical strikes and nearly each one landed painfully and agonizingly. While the struck parent struggled to recover, the sharptooth moved in to do more damage or turned his sights on the next vulnerable target. The others tried their best to intervene but the most they could do was annoy and provide a distraction. Each blow zapped the parents of their strength. Meanwhile, the sharptooth's actions gained only more energy, more drive, more life.

"Littlefoot, what's going on?"

Littlefoot started, only realizing now he stepped fully out of the hole. The others were currently following him out one by one, with Ruby the last to pull herself up. Cera stood next to Littlefoot, breath hitching as she too observed the battle.

"He's hitting them?" Cera continued. "How's he hitting them?"

"That can't happen." Petrie gasped. "He supposed to be ghost."

"I don't know." Littlefoot said. "He couldn't before but then he somehow understood Cera's dad was insulting him and now he can hit others but they can't hit back."

"He can understand leaf eater?" Cera squeaked. "He never gave an indication of doing that before!"

Chomper sniffed and winced fearfully. "Guys…I can smell him. None of the previous ghosts had any scents but this one does. That's not good, is it?"

There was a chill from all present.

"He has smell now?" Petrie said. "Oh, when things going to start making sense?"

"Some say you never feel more alive than when you're angry." Ruby said. "But what if that sharptooth's anger is making him more alive and giving him the power to fight back?"

Ducky covered her mouth. "And if there is someone with a lot of anger, it is that sharptooth, oh yes, yes, yes. If that's making him more alive, then our parents-"

Spike inhaled sharply and whimpered worriedly. Then his gaze flickered to the battle and he almost screamed. The others turned just in time to see the sharptooth slam his muzzle against Mama Swimmer and swing her into the air. She went sailing before landing hard on the grass. Battered and exhausted, Mama Swimmer groaned as she tried to push herself up. The sharptooth coldly approached and turned to slap her with his tail. Mama Swimmer twitched and groaned but her body soon gave out.

"Oh no, Mama!" Ducky cried.

"How dare you!"

Mama Flyer swooped in low, throwing branches she swept up from the damaged trees. The sharptooth observed the sticks fall toward his eyes and pass through them, clinking on the earth. He growled at the implications of that attack. Before Mama Flyer realized what was coming, the sharptooth bowed and his tail struck her back. Stunned, she fell. Mama Flyer feebly flapped her wings, only for the sharptooth to close in and head-butt her hard. When Mama Flyer landed, she didn't even twitch or attempt to get up.

"Mama!" Petrie shrieked. "Don't hurt her, don't hurt her…"

The sharptooth hovered over Mama Flyer ominously, teeth prominent. Before he could strike, Mr. Threehorn and Tria rammed his legs from either side. Their horns nearly got tangled when they went through the sharptooth but that got the latter's attention. He kneed both of them on the forehead, making them stumble. Dazed, the couple backed away as he abandoned Mama Flyer in favor of slinking toward them. With their throbbing heads, the pair struggled to maintain their concentration. After several seconds of consideration, the sharptooth's red eyes snapped toward Tria and he moved to her as fast as sky fire, mouth opening.

"No!"

Face alighting with a familiar terror, Mr. Threehorn intercepted the sharptooth's attack. The sharptooth stopped opening his jaws in surprise and they slammed into Mr. Threehorn's frill and neck. Mr. Threehorn toppled against Tria from the impact, sharp teeth scraps clear against his skin, unconscious. Tria gasped, eyes slightly unfocused from her head taking much of the force of her mate falling against her, and she struggled to return to her feet.

"Topsy…" Tria glared at the sharptooth. "I'll…you won't get to them…"

Annoyed, the sharptooth walked by and struck her neck hard. Her head shivered and she tried to stay focused, but soon she collapsed like her husband. Cera staggered forward a few steps, the others barely stopping her from getting into view. She stared at her parents fixedly, unable to suppress a whimper.

"Daddy," she said. "Tria. Please be alright."

Now bereft of any other obstacles, the sharptooth shifted his attention to the two elder longnecks. They had been standing to the side, breathing hard, exhausted. The sharptooth narrowed his gaze. Out of all of the parents, he seemed to hate these two most of all. The sharptooth approached, and Grandpa and Grandma Longneck whipped their tails defensively. They went through him without garnering a reaction. He whipped his own tail against their chests, drawing terrible out cries of pain that made Littlefoot flinch.

"Grandma," he said. "Grandpa. No."

His grandparents weren't the type who gave up easily but the sharptooth didn't show mercy either. For every failed strike at the sharptooth, he replied with a head-butt, a punch, a kick, and even a tail whip. He didn't hesitate to scratch with his claws, relishing every sound of physical distress he could force out of them. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck got up every time but each blow made their movements and retaliatory attacks feebler. It was clear to Littlefoot who the winner of this brutal battle was going to be and what the victor shall do to his fallen adversaries.

*Again.* Littlefoot thought faintly *Not again…*

Unbidden, unwanted, each exchange of blows brought back a terrible memory. A tail slap struck Grandma Longneck in the side, making her topple. She saw Grandpa Longneck engage the sharptooth and scrambled desperately to her feet – _scramble like she did when trying to get out of a gorge, after the tree Littlefoot brazenly climbed across cracked in a sudden earthshake._

Even as his wife came to his assistance, Grandpa Longneck gasped when the sharptooth hit his chest with his head. Grandpa Longneck stepped away, struggling to draw in breath, so tired – _almost as breathless and tired as when struck by that fatal ailment, whose only cure was so far away and Littlefoot thought he might never get it in time._

The sharptooth slammed into Littlefoot's grandparents a second time and their legs gave out. They tried to get back up but exhaustion pinned them down – _pinned down like Bron's leg had been pinned by a giant rock and he could only watch fearfully as molten rock slid around him like a river, his son and his friends almost too small and helpless to save him._

The sharptooth dug his feet into the earth and took his turn kicking both of Littlefoot's grandparents, cutting across skin, drawing blood. They struggled but soon they could only jerk at their immobile legs, wincing in exhaustion and agony as the sharptooth continued kicking. He only ceased when the grandparents could only keep their lengthy necks raised a bit off the ground. The sharptooth shifted to examine his handiwork. A rumble came up his throat and he pulled back his teeth. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck watched him, so drained they could only muster a bit of fear – _so drained like that terrible night, that horrible stormy night when he watched the life leave his mother, and he had been unable to help her in anyway except to follow her word and get used to a life with her absence._

The sharptooth snarled and reared up high. In slow motion, the sharptooth swooped down. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck curled near each other, shutting their eyes. Drool seemed to fly from those merciless teeth as they rapidly neared those lengthy necks, coming closer, closer, seconds from terminating these two lives…

"Stop!"

The sharptooth's jaws ceased inches from those necks. He turned his head in shock to see Littlefoot standing in plain view on the distant hill. Littlefoot shook, eyes wet, teeth gritted in anger.

"It's me you want!" he shouted. "It's me who hurt you! They have nothing to do with what I did to you – nothing! Leave them alone..."

Silence. The sharptooth stepped away from the elder longnecks, attention focused solely on Littlefoot. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck also watched Littlefoot, terrified, their worst fears playing out before them. They shook their heads pleadingly but Littlefoot didn't meet their gaze. He took a deep breath.

"If you want your revenge," he said, "then follow me."

Without looking back, Littlefoot turned and ran. Despite the exhaustion from earlier, he found the energy to move quickly. When those heavy footsteps started to follow, Littlefoot didn't slow down for a second. He mentally charted a route through and out of the valley, dodging around trees and between undergrowth, hoping to slow down his pursuer, to delay whatever fate awaited him until he had the sharptooth right where it might make some sort of difference.

Then he became aware of six forms appearing on either side of him, keeping up with his pace as easily as though it was second nature to them. That was because they were his friends. Littlefoot gawked.

"What are you guys doing?" he demanded. "You've got to-"

"Don't you dare!" Cera glared. "Don't even finish that sentence!"

"Me so scared." Petrie whimpered, but his flying was steady. "But me scared of losing Littlefoot even more."

"He probably wants all of us anyway." Ducky said reasonably. "But we will find a way out. We always have when we are together."

Spike grunted and nodded, giving Littlefoot an uncharacteristically piercing, determined stare. Littlefoot's chest clenched and he had to breathe before he replied.

"Okay. But Chomper, Ruby, he doesn't have anything against you. Get away while you still can."

"I won't abandon a friend in need!" Chomper said fiercely. "I can speak sharptooth and my sniffer can warn when he's coming. You need me!"

Ruby nodded. "If me and Chomper were in your situation, you five would help us as we would help you. You are all as much my family as my family is my family. Of course we wouldn't leave you."

Littlefoot closed his eyes, but tears leaked out. "Thank you…"

Whatever shall happen, whatever awaited them, the seven dinosaur youths continued running into the perilous unknown, determined to face it, together.

 **Next time…**

 **An Unwelcome Reunion Part 2**


	7. An Unwelcome Reunion Part 2

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 07: An Unwelcome Reunion Part 2**

They never slowed, those heavy, rhythmic footsteps keeping up with each step. Littlefoot hoped his memory was accurate. He had only traveled this route once, long ago, and no one could afford having to double back from a wrong turn. If a route was blocked off by one of the innumerable earthshakes that have occurred since that journey, then they were so screwed and it would be Littlefoot's fault he drew them into this.

To Littlefoot's relief, beside a waterfall, he spotted a path rising up the Great Wall, covered in grass, leading into a cave. He led his friends up that path as the sharptooth kept pace, his formerly easy gait speeding up as he lost patience with the chase. Littlefoot and the others hastily picked up speed as they briefly passed into darkness and down a hill, Littlefoot directing his friends through the cliff side path on instinct alone. Ducky looked around with a dawning expression.

"Wait," she said. "I think I know this route. I do, I do."

"Oh," Petrie said, "Me think me do too."

"Where are you leading us, Littlefoot?" Cera asked.

"To a very familiar place." Littlefoot said. "Hopefully one that'll be familiar to the sharptooth as well."

After a second, Spike gasped in realization and the unspoken knowledge spread to the rest, even those who weren't present during that fateful day. Four others soon joined Littlefoot in confidence with where they were going, falling into a single file to fit on the narrow path with a long drop on either side. Despite having to now literally put one foot in front of the other, the sharptooth didn't lose his stride. He gave an impatient roar that implied he wanted this hunting game to end and for the main course to really begin. Littlefoot's heart leapt when he saw a very familiar cliff coming up and below that a pitch black pond.

They had returned to where they killed the first sharptooth.

"Slide down here!" Littlefoot said urgently. "We need to get him by the water."

They found a slope level enough they wouldn't have to fear falling. They let gravity take control as they slid down, wincing as bits of rock struck and scraped across their toes and soles. At last, they skidded to a halt right near the water and scrambled out of the way as the sharptooth followed them down. He skid to a stop with a quiet ease quite unlike his usual direct and brutal nature. He lowered his head as a growl of grim satisfaction vibrated that great throat. Littlefoot and the others backed off until they hit another rock wall but didn't flee. Littlefoot tried to steal himself. He had been caught up in emotion earlier but having that red gaze aimed so unwaveringly at him after so long was nerve-wracking.

"We're – we're here." Littlefoot gulped. "This is where we last saw each other. Don't you remember?"

The sharptooth continued staring, not giving any sign he heard or understood. That made them stir nervously.

"I thought you said he could understand leaf eater?" Cera said, voice high.

"I – that's what our parents thought happened." Littlefoot said. "But maybe – he was just mad at your dad's tone after all. Uh…"

After a moment, Chomper nervously stepped forward, growling as he began translating Littlefoot's message. The sharptooth zeroed in on Chomper, who blanched and shivered. The sharptooth growled, questioning, and Chomper answered, tone mediating. They went back and forth, the sharptooth occasionally becoming aggressive and Chomper's growls rising an octave as he tried to bring the conversation back to calmer territory. Amid his fear, Chomper at times sounded defensive. At last, Chomper repeated his first set of growls. The sharptooth's indifferent gaze didn't look at the pond, growls short and gruff.

"What are you two saying?" Cera asked tepidly.

"I said what Littlefoot said but he wanted to know why I was with leaf eaters." Chomper said. "I gave a short version of how I became friends with you guys and he doesn't like it." He fidgeted. "He thinks I've dirtied my pride as a sharptooth, that I've gone soft. He hates all of you more now because of me."

Petrie shook like a leaf on top of Spike but he managed to pry his beak open. "But what he say about what Littlefoot say?"

"He said, 'why should it be of importance to him?'" Chomper answered.

Littlefoot felt confusion and apprehension flood in. "This is – this is where the five of us drowned you. We pushed that boulder on you and you fell to the bottom of the pond. You never came back up. I'm sorry – but you're dead. We killed you."

Chomper translated for Littlefoot. Before Chomper could reach the end, a snort interrupted him mid-growl. The corners of the sharptooth's lips quirked up ever-so-slightly in amusement and that expression was nearly as terrifying as his fury. Still not so much as glancing at the pond, the sharptooth growled back and with each second, Chomper looked more terrified. Even after the sharptooth finished speaking, Chomper remained silent, so still with fright he couldn't speak.

"Chomper." Ruby said. "What's wrong?"

"Why is he not scared to learn he is dead?" Ducky asked.

Chomper turned his shaking head to them. "He – he already knows. He knew he was a ghost the entire time. He knew things could pass through him and he could pass through them if he wanted to. With his anger, he can stay in this world, and hurt and kill anyone he wants now."

"Then…when he said why this place should be of importance to him, he meant…" Littlefoot felt horror brush through him.

The sharptooth spoke again, the growling filled with more of that horrible amusement. Chomper was as white as a sheet.

"It's no longer of any importance to him because…because he'll soon have what he wants – us." Chomper's voice became high-pitched on the last word.

The sharptooth lowered his head further to examine them, licking his lips longingly. Littlefoot's stomach curled sickly with shame. He had been so stupid. He and their parents thought the sharptooth had been so driven by anger and vengeance he didn't notice others could phase through him. It was possible. Apparently, Ichy didn't notice his claws phased through Ducky the half dozen times he attempted to kill her. But with the many phased through blows exchanged throughout the sunny day, there was no way he couldn't notice.

In fact, Littlefoot remembered the sharptooth had expressed annoyance when the parents' attacks phased through him and anger when his own strikes initially went through them…but no shock. He had all the body language of someone who found being a ghost a frustrating inconvenience, not an existential crises. That was why he now refused to look at the pond with such a lack of concern. Littlefoot should have noticed these clues immediately but he had been too worried about the wellbeing of their parents to think of anything else and now his friends were going to pay for that fatal oversight.

"It's my fault." Littlefoot whispered. "It should have been obvious he knew but I thought…scatter. Hide."

"We're not leaving you." Cera said

"Yes, there must be something I can think up." Ruby said.

"Me should think of something too." Petrie said.

"I do not want you to get hurted!" Ducky said, with Spike nodding desperately.

"I'll help you somehow." Chomper said. "I'll-"

"He can't get us all at once if we're not together." Littlefoot looked at them beseechingly. "I'll be hiding too. Maybe one of us can come up with a better idea while he tries to look for us. Please…I don't want to lose any of you too."

No one replied but he could see the others' eyes darting about, looking for escape routes and hiding places. The sharptooth took a single step, red eyes focused on his prizes. Littlefoot looked down between the sharptooth's legs and the former's heartrate doubled. He had to time this right. Be too early and the sharptooth would foresee their plan and strike at one of them. Be too late and they would be his lunch. At just the right second, they would get out of the way and he would slam into or phase through the rock wall (either would be advantageous) and his confusion would buy them time to run in all directions. The sharptooth slinked closer, so confident, probably believing Littlefoot and the others had no escape plan and were resigning themselves to their fate. Littlefoot felt his friends gaze at him subtly, desperate, pleading for his signal.

"When?" Cera whispered.

"Not yet." Littlefoot muttered. "Not…"

The sharptooth's growl converted into a roar as he walked to them with increasing speed, closing the distance to rapidly narrowing feet-

"Now."

Though quiet, Littlefoot's voice came through clearly. Just as the sharptooth jaws opened toward them, they scattered. Ducky, Spike, and Cera went left toward the water, Ruby and Chomper went right further inland, Petrie flew straight into the sky, and Littlefoot ducked under the jaws as he ran through the gap between the sharptooth's legs. The sharptooth's head went through the rock wall and he stopped before rocking his upper body and thrusting back, screaming his fury to the skies.

By then, Petrie was out of sight in the mountain cave, Ducky had dived into the water, Spike was swimming across the pond for a nook in the ground surrounded by rocks, and Cera had jumped into a hole beneath a scraggly bush. Chomper and Ruby, meanwhile, were still running, separating in opposite directions. Littlefoot aimed himself for a crack in the opposite rock wall, throwing himself onto his hind legs as he shimmed into it, wincing as some needle-thin points cut into him but ignoring the pain. Currently, Littlefoot was only glad he and the others were growing slow enough they could still use hiding places even adults couldn't dream of squeezing into.

He glanced back. The sharptooth was looking around furiously, trying to find where his prey vanished off to. With a jolt, Littlefoot saw the sharptooth's muzzle casually phase through the rock wall the gang had been backed into a minute ago and suddenly remembered that no hidey hole was safe if he knew where any of them were. He could go through and become solid enough to bite, and it would all be over. Littlefoot remained as still as possible as the sharptooth rose to his full height, sniffing and attempting to catch sight of any of his quarry. He scanned the surface of the pond and its surroundings, seeming to catch a whiff of something but unable to pinpoint its exact location. He turned to the rock wall where Littlefoot hid and almost focused on the crack. Littlefoot strangled down his breath from audibility.

Fortunately, the sharptooth instead looked skyward, expression becoming distasteful. He apparently knew where Petrie was but didn't know how to quickly climb the mountain. The sharptooth was displeased Petrie could evade him with his flight advantage. Littlefoot prayed with all his soul the sharptooth didn't learn how to fly. Some stories did report that ghosts could float and Ichy had been able to stand on thin air with no effort. Then the sharptooth looked in the direction of the inlands and narrowed his eyes before taking off. Littlefoot's eyes widened, suspecting who might have been spotted in that sparse area with little cover, and he struggled, wedged in his hiding place. Panicked, he lost all sense and yelled out at the top of his lungs.

"No! Not them! Not any of my friends, but especially not them! They had nothing to do with you, leave them alone!"

But the sharptooth never heard him.

Meanwhile, Chomper pumped his legs for as long as possible. There was no hiding place in sight on his side. Ruby had already disappeared. She had lived up to her kind's fast runner name and had probably concealed herself somewhere among the gnarly bushes and trees on the other side. Chomper felt tempted to seek a hiding spot there but he didn't want to lead the sharptooth to her. He hated that all he could do was flee and not bring attention to his friends, the sharptooth's words calling him soft and weak echoing in his mind, but he shunted those thoughts aside. There must be someplace where he could be out of view, even if he had to dig it out himself. He was used to tasting dirt when searching for underground crawlies and his life was on the line, so he could use his mouth to build himself a hole if necessary.

A roar behind Chomper made him look around and he screamed when he found the sharptooth in full pursuit. Chomper ran at full gamut but with nary a place to duck behind within sight, he didn't know where to go. He continued running hoping to at the very least stumble over or fall in something useful but nothing came up.

There was a loud cracking sound. A patch of kicked up rocks and earth sailed over and smashed in front of him, making him slid and stumble to a stop. The sharptooth closed the distance and loomed over him, grateful to have found some prey.

Chomper looked around desperately and found no escape route. Losing his head completely, Chomper yelled and charged forward to bite at the sharptooth's feet. His teeth clanged painfully against each other as he went right through those toes. He felt an unnatural chill surround him and hastily backed off. In response, the sharptooth casually flicked a toe at him but it had the strength of Ruby's kick and more. Chomper's breath was taken away as he was sent flying, the world turning upside down around him before he landed hard on the ground. Reeling, Chomper got up and hugged himself, cornered. That enormous muzzle descended ominously.

" _Get away."_ Chomper pleaded in sharptooth. _"Don't hurt me. Just…Leave my friends alone. Please."_

The sharptooth sneered. _"Pathetic. You don't even have a sharptooth's strength to protect those friends, misfit. Your screams will only draw them to me in the end."_

Chomper jerked as though struck by an arrow. He recalled Dil and Ichy's jeers, the taunts of Hyp's posse, and the sharptooth's earlier words. He tried not to concentrate on those thoughts but now at death's door, he couldn't help them. He was a failure as a sharptooth – he couldn't be scary when it mattered, he couldn't fight anyone that threatened his friends, and when he attempted to shield them, he was tossed aside as though he was nothing. If anything, he only burdened his friends, since they had to go rescue him. He only bothered his parents with his weirdness and he wasn't able to do anything when that got them hurt by Redclaw. The concept of how powerless he was, how it burdened those he loved, overwhelmed him and he curled up in a ball, and wept. He kept his muzzle shut tight as the sharptooth's jaws descended. Chomper hoped he won't make a sound that might attract his friends when those enormous teeth pierced the life out of him.

"Wait!"

Ruby pelted toward Chomper and the sharptooth, waving her arms wildly. She had hid behind a tree, squeezing down among the gnarly roots to keep out of sight. There had been enough room to even press herself beneath the tree but with the sharptooth being a ghost, that didn't provide much maneuverability if he found her and could just phase through to maul her. She planned to sit tight and try to think up a plan to get rid of the sharptooth when she heard Chomper's scream. Upon peeking out, she saw him eventually get cornered, so small, so out of his depth. He became so sad, so resigned to his fate, that Ruby was moved to action. Chomper was as much her younger sibling as her actual younger siblings and she wasn't going to stand by and let him get killed while she had some measure of mind power to prevent it.

"Wait!" Ruby repeated breathlessly. "Waiting means time to think, and time to think means taking the correct action!"

The sharptooth and Chomper stopped what they were doing to look at her. Chomper wasn't relieved. If anything, he looked even more stricken.

"No, Ruby!" Chomper cried. "Stay away!"

Ruby ignored him. She stood in front of Chomper and gave her best level glare at the sharptooth, ignoring how much her instincts were screaming in revolt. This sharptooth was far from the only intimidating one Ruby engaged with but the ruthless killing intent in those red eyes was great enough to leave Redclaw in the dust. Gulping, Ruby remembered to use words.

"Sharpteeth shouldn't eat sharpteeth," she said. "That's cannibalism, and even the most desperate sharptooth who have no other choices find it distasteful. It makes you feel like raving monsters. No matter how much you fight, if you have other choices, you guys never stoop to that level. You have those choices, you don't need to eat as a ghost. So spare Chomper, and you'll be spared of that shame. Tell him, Chomper."

Chomper quickly growled to the sharptooth, tumbling and having to backtrack as he watched Ruby fearfully. She knew enough of the sharptooth language to know Chomper tried to repeat all she said, even adding her plea for him to translate without thinking. The sharptooth stared at the two and then a rumble like a chuckle shook through him. He replied to Chomper and even before the latter translated, Ruby found her stomach sinking.

"He – he doesn't care. He doesn't need to eat but he needs revenge. He was only going to bite me in half but," Chomper shook hard, "after what you said, he's considering slowly chomping me up and swallowing the bits before he eats you. My screams'll get our friends' attention then. He - he says you don't know as much about the divide among sharpteeth over that issue as you think. Oh Ruby, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't help. Please, run. Save yourself!"

Ruby stood numb with shock. Her attempt to reason with the sharptooth had only dug Chomper and her friends into a deeper hole they mightn't be able to climb out of. She hadn't known the full extent of her facts and he exploited that. The sharptooth sought vengeance to such an extent he would break any taboos to satisfy his quest and even spite his prey in the meantime. Ruby should have considered all of this, should have drawn up taboos and norms that would give the sharptooth more pause but instead Ruby pulled at the first thing that came to mind and her best friend was going to pay for it. Ruby saw the sharptooth descending again and narrowed her eyes before throwing her arms out.

"No Chomper, I won't abandon you," she said. "Let's run together, I'm sure we can find a place where he can't-"

Faster than she could react, the sharptooth threw his foot at her and she was thrown off her legs. She landed hard. The kick hasn't been strong enough to cause any severe damage but the kick was still from a sharptooth and pain pulsed from her stomach as she struggled to draw in oxygen. Her vision blurred as the sharptooth resumed his approach of Chomper, saliva-dabbed teeth closing in. Ruby tried to think of something, anything that would pry her beloved friends out of this crises but her brain remained frustratingly blank as Chomper lowered his head and braced himself…

A pebble flitted through the air and through the sharptooth before clicking and wobbling to stop at Chomper's feet. The sharptooth turned his attention behind him where Petrie flew in place, defiant.

"Leave them out of this!" Petrie said. "Don't you want me?"

The sharptooth turned fully to Petrie. Faster than Petrie expected, the sharptooth leapt and snapped. Fortunately for Petrie, he had many cold times of practice flying and evading sharpteeth, so he flitted higher in the sky and went back, flapping his wings tauntingly.

"Ha!" he said. "Flyers really are greatest after all!"

Making a noise of consternation, the sharptooth made another leap for the tiny flyer. Petrie evaded again, drawing the sharptooth slowly in the direction of the pond. Quietly, Ruby stumbled to her feet and carried Chomper off to the other side of the plain where the plants could hide them. Petrie had to keep the focus on him. His outer cockiness was starting to crack. A slight tremor came across his beak. That was nothing compared to what was happening inside, though, as he had been mentally shrieking at the top of his lungs for the past couple minute.

*What am me even doing?*

Petrie already knew the answer to the question. As he implied earlier with Littlefoot, the world was filled with so many dangers – so many horrific ways to get hurt, so many ways to die. Petrie was scared of all of them and even dreaded others that remained unfounded hypotheticals in his mind. Yet the concept he dreaded most, that struck him with the greatest fear in his sleep stories, was him living while his friends died and not doing everything he could to stop it. Not seeing Littlefoot or the others again filled Petrie's chest with such agony that he would brave any challenge that could kill him many times over in order to keep them safe. That was why when he saw Chomper and Ruby get threatened, he had to take action, no matter how much the consequences filled him with dread.

Petrie dodged yet another snap, always being sure to be just a few inches beyond reach, the sharptooth's attention only on him. It wasn't that difficult, but Petrie's fear was making his movements stiff and the sharptooth would only be entertained by this game for so long before he became aggressive enough to lunge suddenly and finally get Petrie. Petrie shoved that thought out of his mind but like all his fears, it moved right back in and made itself at home. There must be another method to distract the sharptooth while someone, anyone, put a plan together.

An idea sparked within Petrie's head, something pretty risky…but oh, it was worth trying. If this had any chance of success, it would be quite a coup. Petrie almost didn't believe it was possible but as he learned from his friends on their adventures, it was that sharpteeth and other meat eaters had more complicated inner lives then most leaf eaters thought. His memory of the distraught Ichy was particularly at the forefront. Petrie stopped flying backwards but remained out of the grabbing range of the sharptooth.

"Um Mr. Sharptooth, can we talk please?" Petrie asked. "Me sure we can resolve this without-"

The sharptooth made another lunge and Petrie hastily ascended out of reach.

"Without doing that!" Petrie squeaked. "Come on, you must not be all bad. Everyone have a little good inside. Like Uncle Pterano. You must have liked someone."

The sharptooth didn't appear to be listening. As far as he was concerned, all of Petrie's talk was just incomprehensible waffling. The sharptooth crouched and jumped, snapping those teeth too close for Petrie's liking.

Then Petrie felt like smacking himself. It probably sounded like incomprehensible waffling because it was, at least to sharptooth ears. Littlefoot did say he thought the sharptooth could understand Mr. Threehorn's insults at one point but it was now unclear if that happened or not. Petrie probably needed a translator for this but Chomper was obviously in no shape to step into the role. So Petrie would have to do the best he could with what he had. He briefly pressed a hand to his chest.

"Me know we talk differently but please listen through heart." Petrie pleaded. "Me sure we can fix this without anyone getting hurt. Do you not like us because you were so hungry? Well, we hungry then too. That made us do mean stuff. But we got over it and became friends. Me know it too late with you being dead but maybe we can help with your issues so you can finally rest in peace. What you say to that, huh?"

The sharptooth had stopped snapping at him and closely observed the flyer as though listening, bemused. Petrie thought he saw some softening in those red eyes and hope flared in his heart. Maybe Petrie's words had got through to the sharptooth after all. Even the meanest meat eater might be able to turn around.

The sharptooth's head twitched rhythmically and Petrie realized with a jolt that the softening in that red gaze was actually anger being subsumed by amusement – the sharptooth somehow understood but instead of softening, he only found Petrie's heartfelt words funny.

Petrie felt a chill tingle through him. A sickly embarrassment settled in his gut. He was foolish to think his speech could get the sharptooth to calm down and talk. Judging by the sharptooth's cruel amusement, he wasn't interested in talking out his feelings. He just wanted to have his vengeance, just as he always did. Petrie had been naïve to try this. The sharpbeak hadn't become soft to the gang while grieving over his state, so why would the sharptooth? The blunder mortified Petrie so much, he didn't notice the tail swinging toward him until it smacked into him. Crying out, he dropped like a stone, barely able to feel the pain of impact and he lay on the cracked earth, stunned.

*Ow. Me shouldn't have done that.*

The sharptooth's focus was on Petrie in a manner different from the frustration of earlier and it was much scarier. A shadow fell over Petrie as the sharptooth raised an enormous, powerful foot.

*If he have any good, then he won't show it toward us.* Petrie thought. *How he even understand me? Oh, why me try to think about it, me so stupid. Now not only will me get crushed, he'll go after my friends. Me should have stuck with previous strategy. At least me could fly away but it too late now.*

Just as the sharptooth's foot started its rapid descent, Petrie shut his eyes and prepared himself for the end.

Then a familiar bossy voice proved to be his salvation.

"Stop right there!"

That foot paused and Petrie opened his eyes in the voice's direction. Cera stood openly in the distance, head raised defiantly. Petrie used that opportunity to scramble out from under the foot while the sharptooth was distracted, finding the energy to take to the air. Cera was doing such a good job commanding the sharptooth's attention that Petrie could have flown off doing loop-the-loops and he wouldn't have been noticed. She gave the sharptooth a look of disdain.

"Leave my friends alone." Cera continued. "They aren't worth the effort. Why don't you go after someone who's truly challenging, like a threehorn? I was the one who gave that final push to the boulder that put you in that pond, after all."

The sharptooth hissed through his nostrils. He couldn't understand leaf eater again, but he clearly remembered her well and his hate for her was almost as strong as his hate for Littlefoot. Cera did her best not to let her cocky expression show its strain as she stepped back.

"If you want that challenge, you're going to have to find me!"

Cera turned and moved as fast as her legs could carry her. Only then did she allow herself to visibly express the panic shaking through every pore in her body, the emotion accentuated when she heard those giant footsteps.

"Oh no," she whispered. "Why, why, why, why-"

Cera made it back to her hidey hole beneath the bush before the sharptooth could make out where she was going. She hopped in and the foliage shook from her passage. She hastily reached up to still it quicker but she only made things worse as the shivers of her body transferred up her forelegs to the plant. Cera disengaged contact and curled up into a ball so as little of her as possible touched the plant. She breathed to calm the shivering but that only seemed to make it all worse.

*Dang it all.* Cera thought. *Why can't I do anything without becoming the worst scaredy egg?*

When Cera heard her friends were in trouble, trying desperately to avoid becoming the sharptooth's lunch, her instinct and pride kicked in. She did the first thing that came to mind to save those who, no matter how much they might drive her to fits, meant so much to her, as she always did. She refused to face a future without them.

But now the sharptooth had moved to thinking to have her for lunch, another instinct moved to the forefront – fear. She tried to think of another plan, the next step to surviving the sharptooth, but the fear overwhelmed all other thought until she couldn't think of anything except going back to her hiding place and hoping he would go away. As a threehorn, it made her sick with shame.

*Be brave.* Cera told herself. *Just think logically. You can't survive this if you can't think.*

An ominous stomp distracted Cera from her thoughts and she dared to gaze up, still shivering. That step sounded close. She hoped the bush above her moved because of that footstep and not because she couldn't keep still for one freaking second. She heard the sway of that enormous head and the sniff of those great nostrils. The sharptooth probably knew she was very close by and since Cera chose the same hiding spot as before, he was more likely to track her scent down. Cera found breathing quietly a monumental challenge.

*What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?*

Those thoughts became a mantra with nothing to follow as the sharptooth rumbled nearer. In other dangerous situations, Cera had managed to think even if the fear didn't go away but it was nearly impossible with this sharptooth, who had attempted to kill them so viscously, and she couldn't pull her attention away from how he sniffed harder, looming a shadow over what little light slipped into her hiding spot. For a moment, Cera thought she was a goner and braced herself for whatever pain might come.

Then the shadow disappeared and the heavy footsteps became quieter. Cera relaxed, her breaths calming.

*Maybe he'll look for me somewhere else. Hopefully he won't find my-*

Then the light overhead disappeared with a rush of air. The roots of the bushes above Cera suddenly strained. She was horrified when the bush and a descent chunk of earth was ripped out, light fully spilling in. The sharptooth swung his head high, the foliage swinging in his teeth, and he threw it aside. Cera screamed, screamed with all the terror flowing through her. Death was staring at her in the face, mocking her with those gleaming teeth. She couldn't face it head on like she couldn't face much of anything head on and there was no distraction, no denial, just one vile fact stripped of anything that could comfort her. The sharptooth took a moment to appreciate Cera's fear of her own mortality before roaring and lunging down.

"Cera, get out!"

Cera felt some flat teeth take hold of her shoulder and she was pulled out of what remained of the hole just before the sharptooth bit through the ground. The sharptooth came back up spitting dirt and gravel as Littlefoot dragged Cera into the water, Cera barely able to scramble her feet under herself.

"C'mon Cera, we have to move!" Littlefoot said.

"There's no escape, he can reach us anywhere." Cera said.

"There must be a way to get rid of him."

Cera gave Littlefoot a deadened, incredulous look but found the strength to start treading water all the same. Littlefoot looked so scared, so desperate, but when he stared straight at the possibility of all of their lives coming to an end, he took action. Unlike her, at least he was useful in a pinch. Cera felt tears of frustration prick and she shut her eyes.

*I hate this.* Cera thought. *I just want to do something. But what can I do?*

For now, the only thing she could do was follow Littlefoot across the pond, kicking up water as their run turned into a hurried swim. The sharptooth recovered from tasting dirt and began catching up to them, snapping at their tails. The sharptooth's attention was so focused on the two he loathed most that he almost missed another of the children hiding not far off. Cera and Littlefoot continued swimming desperately across the pond until they heard the splashes of those giant feet quiet and Littlefoot look around to see what the fuss was about.

"Oh no, Spike!"

Spike had been busy trying to be inconspicuous in his ground nook and whimpering whenever he heard his friends were in danger. He really very much wanted to help, but he didn't know what to do. He glimpsed Littlefoot and Cera try to flee from the sharptooth, heart breaking at how his normally playful and cheeky friends sounded so terrified and desperate for hope. Spike didn't notice the sharptooth had switched his attention elsewhere until Littlefoot called his name. Spike found the sharptooth staring squarely in his direction, standing at an angle where the rocks piled in front didn't obscure the nook, and his stomach dropped.

Spike hesitated, not sure whether to flee or remain where he was in case the sharptooth couldn't or wouldn't reach him. He remembered those terrifying scarlet eyes from his early days, how the two times the sharptooth appeared he put fear and conflict on the tender bonds that had been forming between the five. He saw that gaze waver back to Littlefoot and Cera, who didn't appear to know whether the sharptooth attacking them or Spike terrified them more. The sharptooth stepped toward him and something in Spike seemed to snap.

He jumped out of his nook, and started punting rocks from the pile at the sharptooth with his tail. Desperation and fear and anger accompanied each grunt labored out from the assault. The rocks just went through the sharptooth as before, but Spike didn't stop. He was tired of this, tired of all the danger. He liked exploring the world's wonders like the rest of his friends, but the fear and uncertainty and sadness that came when threats inevitably arrived...it was just too much. He enjoyed the relaxed lifestyle of the valley that gave him and his friends the opportunity to play, eat, and hang out to their hearts' content. How dare the sharptooth once again threaten and bring unhappiness to the people who were not only his best friends, but were the only family he knew in the first few weeks of his life before reaching the valley. The sharptooth should just go away, back to where bad spirits like him dwelled. He just wanted this all to stop!

Of course, none of the rocks did anything to deter the sharptooth's approach. Panic overcoming the anger, Spike jumped away as the sharptooth lunged for him, running around the pond, eyes darting for another hiding place, realizing he didn't have an escape plan. The sharptooth had rebalanced to follow, another snap for his tail and rear feet forcing him to jump into the water for cover. He hastily attempted to swim away but the sharptooth caught up with only a few steps and was rearing his head back for a third lunge.

A rock flitted by and passed through the sharptooth's head, getting his attention. He turned to Littlefoot and Cera standing on the other side of the pond.

"You have a grudge against…us." Cera's voice wavered. "Leave Spike alone!"

The sharptooth looked from Littlefoot and Cera to Spike, and back again. Spike thought he saw some temptation to be spiteful when those red eyes looked at him at an odd angle but faster than he could react, the sharptooth swung his tail high and smashed it toward him. There was an almighty splash and Spike view's became nothing but bubbling water…

Littlefoot and Cera ducked as droplets rained down on them, giving the area a brief drizzle. When it dissipated, the pair shook the water out of their eyes and looked at the pond. Where Spike had been swimming desperately, there was only the clearing white foam of water. Panicked, their eyes searched the pond.

"Where's Spike?" Cera said. "Where is he?"

Littlefoot's gaze stilled. "Cera…"

"I can't see him, he…nothing had better happen to him!"

"Cera, we need to move now!"

Cera realized the sharptooth was turning back to them. She and Littlefoot hastily made tracks a bit into another set of inlands, the wet stomping of feet starting to become more prominent. Cera was still glancing back at the pond.

"But what about Spike?" she asked. "What happened to him, that tail could have-"

"He's fine." Littlefoot said quietly. "I saw him swimming away for a second, with a shape that I think was Ducky. I don't think the sharptooth noticed. He'll be fine, with his sister beside him."

Cera relaxed. "Yeah. Good. That means we only have to worry about…"

There was a snap at their heels, and Littlefoot and Cera screamed as they quickened their pace to put some more distance from the sharptooth.

"Him!" Cera exclaimed. "Help! Someone get this guy off our tails."

Meanwhile, Ducky nearly drew in breath underwater when she observed the sharptooth chase two of her friends as they lead him around a small mountain. The sharptooth paused and turned around to snarl. Littlefoot and Cera nearly ran right into his mouth. They doubled back but the sharptooth hopped onto the small mountain and onto the other side, causing a set of screams audible through the water that fortunately weren't cut short.

Ducky hesitated, wanting to help, but with no immediate ideas, she briefly peaked her mouth into the air and took a deep breath before diving back down. She swam quickly to a hole obscured by waving water grass only a foot or so below the surface, not slowing until she entered and saw the heavy shape of a juvenile spiketail. She rose up to a rippling flatness in the hole and gasped out as she surfaced in an air pocket, Spike turning to her. After Spike darted underwater to avoid the sharptooth's tail strike, Ducky helped him into this hiding place. Now he bayed at her with concern.

"Littlefoot and Cera are still alright." Ducky said. "Well, the sharptooth is still chasing them but they are alive the last I checked."

Spike appeared only slightly reassured, his gaze wavering about as he worried about how long the pair would remain alive. After several seconds, Spike sloshed forward but Ducky panicked and moved to stop him.

"Wait! What are you doing?" she asked.

Spike bayed and gesticulated to outside. He wanted to help save Littlefoot and Cera. They needed to find a hiding place; they couldn't flee from the sharptooth forever. He made a gesture to the hole the siblings were in, indicating he could guide Littlefoot and Cera into here. As Ducky absorbed the gist of this, something in her grew upset and she shook in her head.

"No!" she said. "I do not want you to go out there."

Spike stared at her, confused and incredulous. Ducky fidgeted awkwardly.

"That was a close call with the tail, it was, it was. It – it really scared me. If you go help the others, you might actually get hurted by the sharptooth, or worse. And I do not think Littlefoot and Cera going in here is a good idea. There is not enough room for it and we might run out of air if there are too many people here."

Spike gazed at her helplessly, at a loss. He made a few forefoot gestures that asked if he was just supposed to stay here, that they should leave their friends out there at the sharptooth's mercies. Ducky shook her head again.

"No, we will not abandon the others. We just…" Ducky touched her chin in thought. "There must be other holes like this one in the pond. I will look for them and I can tell the others when they come by so they could hide in them. I do not think that will fix anything…but at least it is somewhere to hide. Now you stay here for me, okay Spike?"

Spike swiveled his head uncertainly but upon meeting Ducky's eyes, he sighed with resigned acceptance. Relieved, Ducky went over and gave him sisterly peck on the cheek before diving down and out of the hole, briefly surveying the pond before descending down.

Even as she attempted to focus on her mission, her mind couldn't help lingering on the image of Spike in that hole, sick with worry about his friends yet forbidden to go out by his sister. A trill of guilt went through Ducky. She knew he could have joined her in helping their friends. Whatever his mistakes, Spike had proven as useful in their adventures as the rest of them. She had been fine with him accompanying them in potentially dangerous adventures before. But with this sharptooth, the one who took Littlefoot's mother and nearly took all of their lives more than once, she couldn't stand risking Spike being endangered by him. What if the sharptooth actually killed him? The concept was unthinkable. Ducky wouldn't let it happen.

In the process of securing Spike's safety, though, he was trapped and distressed in a cramped place. Not only that, the rest of the gang were at more of a risk of having their lives cut short without Spike to assist them or Ducky allowing at least one of them to share his shelter. She didn't like the thought she was making Spike's unhappy and endangering her friends, all to ensure her ease of mind. Ducky didn't want to hurt them in anyway and it only reminded her of what Cera said that she cheered others up so she wouldn't have to deal with their unhappiness.

Even if others' distress did make the cheery-tempered Ducky uncomfortable, she thought she only did this because she selflessly wanted others to be happy. But when danger was afoot, as seen with Spike and the others' current situation, it seemed Ducky was willing to sacrifice others' happiness and maybe more to assure her own mental contentment. Whatever her words, Ducky appeared to be more self-interested then she thought and she didn't like what that might say about her as a person.

Ducky pushed those thoughts aside. She could worry about them later. The actual selfless task she could do right now was finding hiding places for her friends in this pond. She investigated her underwater surroundings. Even with the daylight, the darkness was still quite pronounced and Ducky had to squint to make out much of anything. There was just barely enough room to dodge the sharptooth in here, with a few water grasses and other plants dotted about as convenient little shelters for her. She stroked past a few of those plants to note if any holes were present, finding only a few with little to no air pockets in them.

Trying not to be discouraged, she swam down further, the pressure a bit uncomfortable but something she could handle. There was a boulder at the bottom. Great, Ducky thought, maybe she and her friends could use that as a temporary hiding place in case the sharptooth decided to peak through or search the pond for them. She started the process of examining for more holes in the hopes they could be hiding places or even escape routes to the surface when another glimpse of that boulder gave her pause.

Ducky didn't have much of a fascination with giant rocks, but this one was familiar, so familiar. Granted, there wasn't anything particularly notable about the boulder and it had been worn down by the passage of time. Yet it tickled something in her mind. Ducky descended to see some more details but noticed there was something pinned under the boulder, a shape that became more distinct and made her stomach curl the closer she got.

Then she recognized what was under the boulder and almost screamed.

In the meantime, Littlefoot and Cera had finally managed to give the sharptooth the slip. After being chased all around the area while reaching the very limits of exhaustion, Petrie zipped by when the pair briefly got out of the sharptooth's sight and pointed out a little tunnel they could slip into. Once they went underground, they walked quietly as the sound of the sharptooth sniffing in confusion and scraping at rocks and holes echoed above.

"Thanks Petrie." Littlefoot whispered.

"Me at least know useful tunnel when me see one." Petrie muttered.

"Now what?" Cera asked. "He saw us go underground in the valley. He's bound to look for holes."

"Right." Littlefoot said. "It was because I froze up that the sharptooth knows about that."

"Blaming yourself isn't going to help." Cera said impatiently. "How long can we keep this up?"

"I don't know. I had us all scatter so he would remain busy while someone could come up with an idea but nothing's coming to me. This is preventing all of you from being eaten but I've been so worried trying to keep track of everyone that-" Littlefoot shook his head, upset.

"Maybe someone else did come up with idea?" Petrie said weakly.

"What can we do to get rid of a ghost?" Cera asked. "He's breaking the patterns we do know and they weren't very solid to begin with. Besides, do we even have time to try out each idea while he's chasing us all over the place? He'll eat us before anything comes close to working."

Cera lowered her head, glaring at the earth as she walked with them. Littlefoot was at a loss for what to say. He tried to think of something reassuring, that they have got out of tight scrapes before and someone shall come up with an idea to save them now, but Littlefoot had difficulty believing it himself. Normally, he had some clear head in these situations and could find a solution. Currently, though, Littlefoot hardly thought an answer was going to conveniently drop down on them while they were at their lowest.

There was a rustle of movement ahead and Littlefoot, Cera, and Petrie froze. They saw shapes coming into focus, around their size. Soon they saw they had no reason to be wary, as the shapes resolved into Ducky, Spike, Ruby, and Chomper. Both groups rushed to each other in relief.

"Thank goodness you're all safe." Littlefoot said.

"What are you doing here?" Cera said. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but he can get us all now."

"But Ducky has an idea to get rid of him." Chomper said.

"Really?" Petrie perked up. "What is it?"

Ducky shifted uncomfortably. "I was swimming in the pond, trying to look for hiding places for you guys, when I came across the boulder we used to drown him. And beneath that boulder…he is still there, he is, he is."

"His body is still there, basically." Ruby said. "Knowing he's dead didn't work but maybe if he _sees_ that he's dead, then that might do something to him."

"So lure him in pond to see himself and he go away?" Petrie asked. "That sound like good plan."

"How is this a good plan?" Cera said. "You're all making some big guesses here. What proof do you have this would work?"

The others' expressions faltered. After a few moments, Littlefoot slowly raised his head.

"Hang on, they might be on to something," he said slowly. "The sharptooth didn't look at the pond when we told him he died there. I thought he was just so confident, he didn't feel the need to look…but what if he couldn't? Maybe some part of him feared if he looked into the water too closely, he would see his body and be forced to really face he was dead as Ruby said."

"But he looked at the pond plenty of times when he was chasing us and Spike around it." Cera pointed out. "Him not looking the first time might not mean anything."

"Did you notice, though? When he was chasing us, he was looking at the pond very oddly, liking he was only trying to look at us. It was only a little thing, yeah…but I never saw that look on him before. Maybe he's not aware of it and he's just focused on us. But I don't think it's natural. This plan could really work."

Cera still appeared doubtful. "But what you're saying is still guessing. Good guessing, but… If he sees himself and doesn't care, what then? What do we do?"

There was silence as they contemplated the implications of failure. Littlefoot raised his gaze.

"I still think it's worth a shot," he said. "Since he's after me most of all, I can lure him down there. This is a risky plan, you guys don't have to get involved -"

"But you need someone to show you where the body is." Ducky interrupted. She shuddered. "It is scary but I will do it for you, I will, I will."

Spike nodded and nudged against her. He too wanted to swim down with Ducky and Littlefoot. That seemed to steel the resolve of everyone else.

"If Spike going, me going too." Petrie said, resigned but set.

"I'm not leaving you to face this alone." Chomper said fiercely.

Cera sighed. "Better put Ducky's swimming lessons to good use."

"If he wants all of us, then going as all of us will make it more likely he follows." Ruby said.

"Not again." Littlefoot sighed. "You have done enough, you don't have to risk yourselves-"

"Littlefoot, really." Cera said dryly. "Does it look like anyone is going to listen to you here?"

Littlefoot scanned the faces around him and, though there was fear and uncertainty, no one backed down. For a second, anger swirled in him. Didn't they see he wanted to keep them safe? Then Littlefoot sighed and looked down.

"I wish you would." Littlefoot muttered. "But okay. We must move quickly and quietly."

They moved to the other side of the tunnel and hefted out, noting with relief they came out near the pond. Fortunately, the sharptooth was still a fair distance away, his attention now on the hole Littlefoot, Cera, and Petrie hopped in. They kept their steps silent as they neared the pond, glancing back often to make sure the sharptooth remained ignorant of their location. They sloshed through the water until they reached the deep, dark end. They all stared at the depths, including Petrie, who moved to stand in the water to prepare himself for the plunge.

"Okay." Ducky said. "Does everyone remember our swimming lessons?"

There were nods. Sometime after Tricia and Cera learned how to navigate the water, an incident forced every member of the gang, even Petrie, to learn how to swim. They had all struggled and nearly drowned in rivers, lakes, or the big water before and they took these lessons to minimize future water dangers. Now they were going to see how well those lessons really stuck. Ducky glanced around at them worriedly.

"Do you remember how to dive deep? How to conserve your breath? The position to use to float up quickly?"

Each question was answered with a nod, with increasingly nervous glances back to the sharptooth. Ducky found these answers acceptable and her gaze shifted to Littlefoot, who surveyed his friends carefully before his eyes moved to the sharptooth's direction.

"Okay, if everyone's ready to be noticed, let's do this."

Once again, there were nods of agreement. Breathing deeply, Littlefoot raised his head.

"Hey sharptooth, you're looking in the wrong place!"

The sharptooth, who nosed at the hole and was attempting to trace where it went, immediately stood to his full height. He observed his youthful targets standing defiantly in the water and his eyes widened. Littlefoot surmised the sharptooth thought they were going to drown themselves and rob him of the chance of finally exacting his vengeance. As grim as it was, Littlefoot believed it would be too advantageous to dissuade the sharptooth from that notion.

"We're over here. If you want to catch us before we do anything drastic, you're going to have to take a dip!"

The sharptooth exhaled through his nostrils sharply. He started stomping toward them, the booms becoming closer and more hurried. With that sound growing louder, Littlefoot and the others glanced nervously at one another and took the second to grab each other's hands and forepaws, seeking comfort in each other's touch, each other's connection, and whatever might happen, at least they were together. Some struggled to keep their breathing measured as the moment of physical unity seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Then a shadow started to loom and they disconnected, tensing their legs.

"Dive!" Littlefoot yelled.

Taking deep breaths, Littlefoot and the others leapt straight into the water. Ears were flooded and their hearing was soon filled with the distant, muffled sounds of the underwater world. Littlefoot only took a second to adjust before stroking down. Ducky came level with Littlefoot and a glance back showed the others following with various proficiency. Not all of them were elegant but they kept up with Littlefoot and that was what mattered.

They got a quarter of the way down when Littlefoot looked up and found the sharptooth sliding into the water with not even a ripple, his ghostly state allowing him to follow without all the disadvantages of moving underwater. He growled without unleashing a torrent of bubbles and he clawed the water like he was climbing a mountain in reverse. The sight was terrifying and made Littlefoot and the others descend faster. They past the halfway point and began seeing the bottom, a familiar boulder becoming more prominent.

He heard a muffled squeal and turned his head back. The sharptooth had apparently lost any and all patience at the cat and mouse game the children had been playing and was snapping wildly, getting closer to some of the kicking feet of his prey. It had been Petrie who squealed at the sound of gnashing teeth and closed his wings even tighter to make his swimming faster. Petrie's tiny toes escaped getting clamped on in a nightmarish repeat of what happened last time.

Chomper waved his limbs swiftly, his small arms not projecting as much strength compared to his legs but he still kept out of reach of the sharptooth. He would be panting from the exertion if he wasn't so busy holding his breath. Spike was doing well, as expected from Ducky's brother, but his body shape meant he could only go so fast. He fell behind as the sharptooth started snapping dangerously close and had to redouble his efforts to keep up with his friends. Cera and Ruby kept out of reach the best, the former because of her swimming experience and the latter because her narrow body made cutting through the water easier.

Littlefoot kept up with Ducky at the head of the group. Ducky moved the fastest and Littlefoot couldn't help feeling she was slowing down to not leave them behind. He could feel his lungs burning as his oxygen supply dwindled but the sounds of the sharptooth's teeth chomping sometimes inches from his friends kept him going. Within a few more strokes, the pair neared the bottom of the pond and what was beneath that boulder became clear to all.

A great skeleton lay in the rocks and sand, with barely any flesh to remind observers it had once been a living being. The chest cavity had crumbled in on itself, the weight of the boulder and the deterioration of muscle robbing away anything that might have kept the skeleton together. The tiny arms lay stuck between the back bones like forgotten stones. The tail bones had drifted apart and some fell in a pile where they would have connected to the rest of the body. The only sign of its former life was the skull titled to the side, jaws wide as though still baying for air forever out of reach. It was a horrifying sight, the last gasps of a dying beast, and a nauseating spike snaked through Littlefoot's stomach. He and Ducky at last made contact with the boulder and gazed up.

Cera and the others were desperately descending with the sharptooth on their heels. They moved for the skeleton as though it were their salvation, becoming scattered in their panic. The sharptooth was solely focused on getting at least one of his prey, not yet noticing what was before him. He gunned for Cera, who squirted down like a startled finned swimmer. He snarled at Ruby, who evaded and caught up with Cera. He made to cleave Spike in half with those great teeth but Spike's moved his legs with wide eyes and that desperation for survival moved him quickly out of range. The sharptooth then veered in on Chomper, snorting out air. Chomper flicked down, grabbed Spike's tail, and was soon out of reach. At last, the sharptooth made a growl of outrage and torpedoed for Petrie. For a heart stopping moment, Littlefoot thought their luck had at last run out and Petrie would be taken from them. But Petrie, though panicked, swooshed down suddenly as though the water was air. He brought up the rear as the rest of his friends reached Littlefoot and Ducky.

Cera, Chomper, Petrie, and Spike pressed themselves against the boulder's side, nearly out of breath, squinting or closing their eyes to brace for the worst. Ruby joined Littlefoot and Ducky a bit closer to the top, the three watching with trepidation as the sharptooth got closer. He was driven by so much anger, so much vengeance, that Littlefoot and Ducky feared he would never see his own corpse, never mind react in a significant way. They were either all going to drown or get eaten, and there was nothing the pair could do about it. A huge weight of guilt appeared in their chests.

*I should have just let him eat me.* Littlefoot thought.

*Why did I suggest this idea?* Ducky thought. *It is not going to work, I should have asked the others' ideas, I should have. Oh no, no, no-*

It seemed to happen in slow motion. The sharptooth was seconds away from the gang. The sharptooth opened his jaws wide, roaring his loudest yet, the sound clear and not bound by the muffling water. They braced themselves for the pain of penetrating teeth. In the motion of attempting to fit them all in one chomp, his gaze fell on the skeleton.

He stopped. There was no deceleration. One blink, he was moving like sky fire and the next, he was as still as the boulder Littlefoot and the others clung to. The sharptooth didn't appear to know what to make of seeing his own remains. His red eyes roved from the skull all the way down to the tail and back again. The sharptooth became increasingly stiff, emotions unreadable. Littlefoot didn't dare feel anything. He just waited for the next, likely negative, twist to drop.

Then suddenly, the sharptooth convulsed. He screamed and gagged, like water was just now filling his lungs, and he ascended quickly. He grew more distant, still struggling, and surfaced, showing not the slightest signs of coming back down.

Glancing at a shocked Ducky and Ruby, Littlefoot waved for them to descend slightly to Cera and the others, who had looked up upon hearing the sharptooth's struggles and now turned their widened, uncertain gazes to the three. Littlefoot pointed sharply upward. They understand his meaning instantly. Quickly, they swam back up, their chests an agony of carbon dioxide, darkness clawing at the edge of their vision, but the light peering through the surface gave them strength. As they swam, they positioned their bodies to float up the remaining distance, the ascent seeming to speed by even as every second was like an eternity…

They broke above water and gasped in the air, not caring how it seared their throats. More gulps of air were taken and coughs came in, getting rid of the leaked in water and putrid carbon dioxide. After several seconds of labored respiration, Littlefoot became aware of a loud thrashing. He turned to see the sharptooth staggering from one place to another, gripping his jaws, phasing through a cliff face on one side and rocking to the other side only to smash debris out of that cliff face. He seemed to be in agony and didn't notice the children's presence at all.

"What's the matter with him?" Cera said faintly.

"He look like he have worst headache ever." Petrie said.

"I think this might be much worse than a headache." Ruby said.

"Yeah – yeah, yeah." Ducky said. "Maybe it really worked."

The sharptooth stopped staggering and breathed hard, stilling long enough to open his eyes and spot Littlefoot and the others. The sharptooth's expression turned into a strange mix of fury and desperation, and he strained to growl at them.

"Ducky's right." Chomper said, dawning. "Seeing his own body…it affected him. He's demanding to know what we did since he can barely control himself now."

The sharptooth growled harder and suddenly lunged. The gang screamed and dipped back into the pond, zooming underwater to reach the shallower end within a second. When they resurfaced, the sharptooth hadn't gotten far, bending his head in pain, but he still watched them fixedly.

"He might be effected but he's still dangerous." Littlefoot said. "Stay on your toes."

As one, they began to cautiously back away, not turning away from the sharptooth. Suddenly, he stomped to them, but lost his balance as he reached the water. He cringed inward and threw his head up, groaning in pain. At first, he stepped on top of the water like it was ice, and then he slipped through up to his chest. Just as abruptly, he was standing on top of the water again, a bit too close for Littlefoot and the others' liking. They hastily backed off as the sharptooth couldn't control his legs and fell forward, crashing spectacularly through the water – and his lower jaw faded a bit through the ground. Even with how dazed the sharptooth appeared, the gang still kept a safe distance.

Chomper took a whiff of the air. "His smell's going in and out. I don't think he'll be able to stay around."

"Don't get too close." Littlefoot said. "Even if we have to split up, let's at least stay in twos or threes. It's best if we can look out for each other."

There wasn't much arguing with that logic. Despite the exhaustion, despite the fear still trilling through their veins, they were ready when the sharptooth got back up enough to try and slam his chin down on them. Littlefoot and the others jumped away, rocks and dirt being thrown up. They padded backwards calmly but hurriedly, always watching the sharptooth. They split up into three groups – Ducky and Spike; Cera and Petrie; and Littlefoot, Ruby, and Chomper. They went in three different directions and the sharptooth followed them with his gaze, determination to get them outstripping his energy to do so.

When he saw Cera and Petrie move up the hill where that boulder had been dropped so long ago, he snarled and went into pursuit. He reached out with his mouth but Cera and Petrie just screamed and jumped back, teeth closing on thin air. He made another snap, but the pair just hopped out of range. Cera and Petrie continued to keep themselves out of his reach, observing for signs of briefly regained energy before they moved. When they got to the top, the pair were backed onto the cliff, the sharptooth surveying them hungrily before another headache made him wince and close his eyes.

"I hate being backed into corners like this." Cera muttered.

"We should run between his legs now." Petrie said.

"Wait. I have an idea."

Even as Cera's knees trembled, she stayed where she was as the sharptooth overcame the pain pulsing through his skull. Shaking his head, the sharptooth focused on the pair and leapt for them. At first, Cera was so terrified her legs refused to work. At the last second she sprinted, avoiding those teeth, her head dodging those mighty jaw by inches. With Petrie crouching behind her frill, she passed between the sharptooth's massive legs, getting glanced by his wildly whipping tail but her run barely slowed down. Even as the sharptooth realized his prey evaded him, he couldn't overcome the momentum he built up and roared as he plunged over the edge. Cera and Petrie heard a huge boom. They returned to the cliff and found the sharptooth laying on the ground to the left of the pond, dazed.

"Woah, that too close." Petrie wiped his brow. "Still…great plan, Cera!"

"Yeah." Cera nodded faintly. "Yeah…I did plan that."

In the meantime, the dust cleared and Ducky and Spike watched the sharptooth's still form from the safety of a little cave. The sharptooth didn't disappear and the siblings didn't dare come out to investigate. The sharptooth stirred, opened his eyes, and strained to get back up. As he did so, his gaze fell on Ducky and Spike's hiding place.

"Oh no." Ducky said. "I think we have been foundeded."

Spike yelped and sprinted out of the cave before the sharptooth thought about phasing through and chomping them. The sharptooth began his pursuit, rumbling step after clumsy rumbling step keeping up with Ducky and Spike. Carrying her sister, Spike looked around quickly and made a break for the narrow strip of land around the pond. The sharptooth trailed after, and seemed to have an aversion to the water. He did his best to put one foot in front of the other in that small space.

However, pain made him wince again, unsteadying his movements, so he couldn't stop a foot from landing in the pond. The sharptooth screamed as though he stepped in molten rock. He ignored Ducky and Spike entirely in favor of getting out of the water. The siblings yelped when the sharptooth stepped in front of them, Spike crashing into the foot and the momentum flinging Ducky against it. Collecting themselves, Ducky and Spike dodged around and kept going, the sharptooth groaning as he rocked from side to side.

"I do not think he can stand even being in the water he died in anymore." Ducky said. "I did not know that was going to happen, oh no, oh no."

Spike shook his head in agreement. He just went here on instinct and hoped that, with their swimming experience, the water might give them an advantage. It felt good to discover there was more of an advantage than either of them thought, and his heart swelled when Ducky gave him a look of sisterly pride.

Littlefoot, Chomper, and Ruby stood in the open near the inlands, watching the sharptooth scream as he tried to clear the pond only to have both feet get in the water. He jumped out and stamped his feet on the ground as though attempting to put out a fire. He noticed the trio in the process and a desperate anger gripped him. Chomper flinched, and Littlefoot briefly laid a tail on the former's shoulder.

"It's okay." Littlefoot said. "We can manage this."

Chomper nodded, and gulped. The sharptooth yelled and stepped forward. Ruby waved for the trio to jog backwards. The more the sharptooth approached, the more space Littlefoot and the others put between themselves and their enemy. They were backing into the inlands Chomper and Ruby fled to, so they had plenty of room to retreat.

They jogged at too relaxed of a pace, for the sharptooth suddenly jumped and the trio had to turn tail and run. The trio didn't go far and returned to their backwards retreat.

Cera, Petrie, Ducky and Spike came in, providing distractions to the sharptooth's left and right flanks. They followed Littlefoot, Chomper, and Ruby's example and jogged backwards. The sharptooth didn't seem to know where to turn. He would go for Cera and Petrie one moment, attempt to attack Ducky and Spike the next, and then fail a tail swing toward Littlefoot's center group without any rhyme or reason. The sharptooth snarled in frustration, becoming more uncoordinated the longer this went on.

"He wants to get one of us, any of us." Chomper panted. "Even on his last breath."

"It's going to be over." Ruby said. "Please, let this over be soon."

The sharptooth swayed on his feet. He chomped toward Ducky and Spike but didn't get down far enough to reach them. The sharptooth growled ominously at Cera and Petrie but the pair shuffled off before he could snap at them. At last, the sharptooth returned his focus to the origin of all his hate. He advanced that enormous leg slowly, straining to move through sheer vengeful will, and allowed gravity to takeover. He fell opening his jaws wide, covering much more distance than expected. Chomper and Ruby jumped away. Littlefoot was slower, not watching where he was going, and found himself slipping. He hadn't noticed the crater where the sharptooth kicked up debris earlier to corner Chomper. Littlefoot slid into the depression and he scrambled to get out as the sharptooth's shadow fell over him.

"Littlefoot!" Petrie yelled.

"No, no, no!" Ducky screamed.

The others ran to him but the sharptooth was descending too quickly and Littlefoot was rooted to the spot. He looked up with terror but that was overwhelmed by a strange calm as those sharp teeth got closer, and closer…

There was an almighty boom. A great plum of dust rushed outward, forcing everyone to stop in their tracks. Cera and the others closed or covered their eyes as sand and dirt blew past them. They hoped for the plum to dissipate soon so they could check on Littlefoot yet at the same time they wanted it to go on for a while longer, dreading what they might find.

At last the air cleared, and they reluctantly uncovered their eyes. The sharptooth lay on the ground, almost inert. Littlefoot stood right next to those teeth, unmoving. His neck seemed to terminate right at those teeth. A thrill of horror went through them and Cera's breath hitched.

"It can't be. It can't – what?"

Cera's confused tone made them turn back to the sight. They gave a double-take. Littlefoot's neck didn't terminate at the sharptooth's teeth.

It _phased_ through the teeth.

Littlefoot stepped back and his head came into view, whole and unharmed. Backing away a bit, he stared up at the sharptooth exhaling laboriously through his teeth. The sharptooth thrust himself up, fell down, and tried again. However, he couldn't move more than a few inches. The sharptooth couldn't get up. He wasn't going to get up.

"It's done." Littlefoot said softly. "He's done, guys."

Cautiously, Cera and the others quietly patted over and stood next to Littlefoot. Upon closer inspection, they found the sharptooth had become a bit translucent. Littlefoot had noticed in the sharptooth lost his solid coloring in his fall, and the longneck allowed hope to surge through him before the impact. The sharptooth rumbled, expressing the dull aches that reverberated through every part of his form. He opened his eyes, exhaustion dulling the anger toward the seven children standing alive before him. The sharptooth growled, barely above a whisper, yet his voice vibrated their chests.

"I assume he's not happy with us, huh?" Cera said faintly.

"He resents us." Chomper said. "He's cursing our luck. Despite all he did, the experience and notoriety he built, some kids who barely knew what they were doing drowned him in a pond and he ceased to matter. The world moved on and forgot about him while you guys survived and continued to survive. He…he thought if he killed us, he might get his pride back and accept being dead, but he couldn't even manage that."

"So…what? Were we just supposed to volunteer ourselves to be chewed to bits? We didn't do that then and we weren't going to do that now, especially since he threatened Ruby and Chomper too."

"I suppose he thinks any friend of you five is not a friend of his." Ruby said. "Especially if those friends are a fast runner and sharptooth. Being friends with leaf eaters has only made us his enemy even more."

"Then he really unlucky." Petrie crossed his arms. "He should have got message when we kept running away from him and leave us alone."

Ducky nodded. "We would not have had to drown him if he just gave up and did something else, that is true, that is."

Spike murmured his agreement, yet he didn't appear victorious they survived once again. No one did. The sharptooth continued to struggle breathing, clinging desperately to his phantom body even as energy continued to leave him. Littlefoot stepped closer.

"I don't regret making sure me and my friends survived," he said. "You tried to kill us and we did what was necessary to live. You lost. However…I'm sorry we live in a world where you had to die so we could live. If life wasn't so unfair, maybe things could've been different. Maybe we could have both been happy."

Glancing at Littlefoot while he spoke, Chomper began translating, taking his time even as Littlefoot fell silent to make the longneck's point clear. The sharptooth's gaze stayed on Littlefoot as he heard this, emotions unreadable. When Chomper finally finished, there was no reaction for several seconds. Then those red eyes narrowed and his next growls shook.

Chomper gulped. "He hates us even more now. To be given sympathy by his killers makes him feel like nothing. He – oh goodness, um – let's just say he wouldn't mind if something super terrible happens to us."

The sharptooth waited for his point to be made clear. Then his demeanor…changed. That narrowed eyed resentment seemed to melt away as his lips turned up and he gave an amused snort. He growled ominously, tone mocking. Chomper looked confused and nervous.

"He says – uh, what's he talking about? – um, ah, he's saying, 'you think you're so smart. You think you're clever enough to survive all of the fears of the world. But even you haven't noticed the greatest terror – the one that has been staring you in the face this entire time.'"

A chill went through Littlefoot's stomach. "What – what do you mean?"

"Does this have something to do with the ghosts?" Cera said quickly. "What is it? Tell us!"

Chomper repeated their questions in sharptooth and from how his growls stumbled, he added his own as well. The sharptooth's amused, threatening expression faded, leaving behind uncertainty. He growled, confused and a bit worried.

"He – he doesn't know?" Chomper was baffled. "The words – he didn't know where they came from, they just fell out of his mouth. He doesn't know what's happening."

"Is he serious?" Cera said. "Maybe he's messing with us."

"Me don't know." Petrie said. "He does look really confused."

Ducky nodded. "It does not seem fake. Maybe he is telling the truth."

"Then what were those words about?" Ruby murmured. "Things are becoming more confusing as I think about them."

The sharptooth's confusion was shifting to anger and when he spoke, it was with rumbling resentment.

"He's blaming us." Chomper said faintly. "He thinks being a ghost and us fighting back is messing with his head. He curses us. First we shame him with sympathy and then we give him delusions. He really hates us. We…really do ruin everything."

Amid his confusion and apprehension, Littlefoot's heart sank. He still hated and feared the sharptooth, for what he took and what he nearly did, but somewhere in that, he began to feel empathy toward him. Whatever kind of person the sharptooth was, his bitterness toward his cut-short life was genuine and his ghostly predicament was one no person should be in. With his tiredness of death, Littlefoot tried to reach out, to make the sharptooth feel at least a bit better in his final moments. But Littlefoot's attempt at comfort was slapped away, the sharptooth's pride and grudge too important for him to react in any other way than with further bitterness.

The sharptooth became much less solid looking. Gradually, the gang could see through him to the imprint he made in the ground, and the land beyond. In the distance, they could still make out the cliff where they dropped that fateful boulder and the pond where the sharptooth's body now lay. Soon, he was more like a faint wisp of fog given shape and color. All the while, the sharptooth continued watching Littlefoot and the others, the resentment in his red eyes never wavering.

The breathing softened, the sound continuing to echo as the sharptooth became fainter, fainter. Between one blink and the next, he and his resentful gaze faded, and his last powerful breaths were stolen by a rolling gust of wind. There was nothing left of the sharptooth other than the land and mountain damage, the giant footprints, and the impression in the earth feet from the gang where he lived out his last moments of his facsimile of a life.

Littlefoot's legs gave out from under him. He continued staring at the sharptooth's impression, relief and guilt and indistinguishable emotions swirling inside him. Cera collapsed against his left side, seeking comfort in their contact. On Littlefoot's right, Spike leaned in, nuzzling the former in relief. Ducky slid onto her stomach and closed her eyes, hugging Spike's neck and reaching out a hand to touch Littlefoot. Petrie fluttered down and settled between Littlefoot and Cera's feet. Chomper rested on Cera's flank, rubbing his head against her and, by proxy, all those she was connected to. Ruby completed the connection, sitting down next to Spike and reaching out with one long hand to stroke Spike, Ducky, and Littlefoot. For those she couldn't reach, she sent a grateful look they were still there.

For a long while, Littlefoot and the others remained pressed close to one another, tired and hollowed out, relieved that every one of their number was so physically present. That entire ordeal had been very taxing. Littlefoot didn't know if he would ever have the energy to stand up again. No one seemed to have the will to return to their feet. The temptation to be lulled to rest by the warmth of each other's presence was great and, for a second, they felt they might do just that, to escape what they went through, what it revealed.

Finally though, one by one, they stood and began the slow walk home.

By the time they reentered the Great Valley, the bright circle was nearing the horizon. Many residents were out in the open, eating or standing around nervously, still feeling the tense atmosphere of that sharptooth's intrusion and not knowing if the threat was gone. Some flyers flew at various heights, on the alert. More than a few of the flying and land walker residents stared at Littlefoot and the others, who walked so lifelessly, and whispers spread wherever they passed.

"Are you kids okay?" Mr. Clubtail asked.

"We're still standing." Cera said. "The sharptooth isn't."

"So you got rid of him?" Don said sharply.

"It's the reason we made it back at all." Littlefoot replied.

Don and several others stared in shock but Littlefoot and the others paid them little mind. They had other people they really wanted to reunite with. Eventually, they heard a familiar set of heavy footsteps and found their parents moving in their direction, wet, their injuries showing signs of recent treatment. Their steps were wincing and uneven, but they gazed about with a desperate energy, hope slipping away with every second of their search. Then they saw their children and gasped softly, picking up their pace. Littlefoot and the others started jogging forward, not stopping until their parents closed in and swallowed them in their embrace.

Mr. Threehorn and Tria pinned Cera between their muzzles as they nuzzled her, eyes closed, faces slightly hollow from guilt and relief.

"Cera, Cera." Mr. Threehorn whispered. "I'm sorry. My stupidity forced you to be a hero again."

"We couldn't do anything, we were so useless." Tria said.

"Fine." Cera said wetly. "It's fine. We got through it. He's gone now."

Ducky and Spike's mother had scooped up the pair and held them to her chest. Despite the tight grip, they bore it stolidly and hugged her back. Their mother shivered at the contact.

"Do not be sad, Mama." Ducky sniffed. "We really did get rid of him. I helped make him see himself in the pond, and he disappeared."

Spike nodded and made an insistent noise, thrusting his head proudly toward his sister. Their mother only shivered harder and her grip became protective.

"My brave, selfless children," she choked. "I'm always scared your luck will run out at some point."

Petrie nestled near his mother's neck, eyes closed as she stroked his back gently. She seemed the most composed but he could feel her fingers weren't as steady as they should be.

"Sorry we always worry you, Mama." Petrie said. "Are everyone's brothers and sisters still underground?"

"We've been in contact with Guido and Big Daddy but we left them in their care while we were looking for you." Mama Flyer said. "We'll pick them up on the way home…and we can finally get some rest."

Ruby and Chomper stood awkwardly to the side, watching this reunion between child and parent. Ruby felt a swell of emotion. She knew her family was safe, she knew they were happy she made the Great Valley a home and gained good friends here. Still, their absence ached and she watched her friends wistfully. Then she felt someone take her hand and she looked down to find Chomper leaning against her.

"I miss my folks too," he murmured. "I know I'm not that much help but I'm here for you."

Ruby smiled. "You're also part of my folks and I hope you don't mind a hug after the mistake I made."

Ruby lowered and embraced him, glad she had a friend like Chomper and that her idea this time was achieving a positive result – giving him a smile that mirrored her own.

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck lowered their heads, nuzzling Littlefoot's head. He could feel them trembling.

"Oh Littlefoot." Grandpa Longneck said. "You're safe."

"Thank goodness." Grandma Longneck murmured. "Thank goodness…"

For that moment, Littlefoot was content to nuzzle his grandparents, so glad to feel their love and touch and life. He didn't want it to end. But then they pulled away and sternness entered their gaze.

"Don't ever do that again." Grandpa Longneck said.

"We were so worried when we saw you vanish off with that sharptooth in pursuit." Grandma Longneck said. "We thought when too much time passed that…promise us you will stop risking your life like that."

"Um, well…" Littlefoot stammered, searching for something soothing to say. He could only look away. "I can't really promise you that."

"Please Littlefoot, you have to understand." Grandma Longneck pleaded. "You have so much life ahead of you, so much left to do. We beg you to consider yourself first before you endanger yourself and cut all of your wonderful opportunities short."

"We consider your survival one of our greatest duties." Grandpa Longneck said firmly. "If you sacrificed yourself for us…we wouldn't know how to live with ourselves."

Littlefoot's heart squelched. They looked greatly distressed, desperate to make their point clear. Littlefoot understood their concern but the thought of what would have happened if he hadn't shouted out on time, the crunch of flesh, the dropping of lifeless necks, swirled inside him. His grandparents' every disapproving word seemed to tell him he should have went for inaction, should have let two more gaping holes be opened in his heart. The pain and fear he got a taste of in that horrible sleep story got magnified more and more by that unthinkable what-if until he couldn't stand there silently anymore.

"But how could I live with myself without helping you!" Littlefoot shouted.

Everyone else's reunion faltered and they stared at him. Even his grandparents were caught off guard.

"Littlefoot?" Cera said. "What's gotten into you?"

Littlefoot ignored her, shaking. "No. No. I wasn't going to watch him take you down like he took …you're my family, I wasn't going to let it happen again. You still have so much to do too – don't sell yourselves short like that. I – I want to do so much with you. If you were gone before we could do any of that, before I could learn and laugh all I can from you, I…I…"

Littlefoot's couldn't get any more words out. He lowered his head and closed his eyes but he couldn't stop the tears from flowing, sobbing as his greatest terrors came down on him like a heavy weight. He hated how pathetic he sounded, like a hatchling throwing a tantrum. Everyone mustn't think highly of him now. He tried to stop crying, to sniffle it to a halt but it was futile. The tears just kept coming.

Then he felt a gentle touch on both sides of his face and his grandparents were offering comfort again, making sure he wasn't alone in this tumult of emotions.

"Oh, Littlefoot." Grandpa Longneck whispered. "Dear Littlefoot."

"Shh." Grandma Longneck said gently. "It's okay. Shh."

"Sorry." Littlefoot gulped to calm himself, but it was just as ineffective. "Sorry."

It took a bit but Littlefoot was able to breath in enough air to steady himself, if not his eyes. He was relieved to find his friends' expressions only communicated concern. His grandparents drew back, looking at him with guilt and sympathy.

"There, there." Grandpa Longneck said. "It seems today has been hard on all of us."

Littlefoot laughed shakily. "Yeah…it has been kind of rocky."

Grandma Longneck frowned. "Though I sense this rockiness isn't restricted to today. I can't help but notice you've been treating us a bit more gently lately. A few days back, you said you had a bad sleep story but felt, 'better now that you're here.' You used similar wording when pleading with us not to fight the sharptooth. I hope I'm not being intrusive but…did you feel better seeing us because we were involved in that bad sleep story?"

Littlefoot froze. Cera and the others looked amongst themselves, confused. A bad sleep story? Littlefoot never mentioned that. He gazed up uncertainly at his grandparents, not knowing what decision to make, and they immediately noticed his distress.

"Never mind." Grandpa Longneck shook his head. "You've had enough stress for today."

"Yes, let's get some rest." Grandma Longneck said. "I'm sorry I put you on the spot like that."

"No, it's okay." Littlefoot took a deep breath. "I probably should've told you earlier but I didn't want to worry you. But I guess that backfired and it's still bothering me, so I might as well tell."

Grandma Longneck nodded unsurely. "Very well. If you're prepared for it."

Tria glanced around and coughed. "Come, everyone. Let's get to sleep. It has been a long day for our children."

"Isn't it still kind of early?" Cera asked, confused.

"As Tria said, it's been a long day." Mr. Threehorn said. "Let's retrieve Tricia and the other kids, and have an early night."

"But should we go home when you all are still hurted?" Ducky asked

"We had our injuries treated after some flyers found us." Mama Swimmer said. "It's…what delayed us in looking for you. Things aren't going to be fun for the next few days but we're healed enough we can go rest at the nest without worrying too much."

"I am tired." Ducky failed to bit back a yawn. "But I do not want to leave Littlefoot, I do not."

Spike vocalized his agreement, gazing at Littlefoot with concern. Mama Swimmer hesitated but softened.

"I'm sure we can arrange for you to see him tomorrow," she said.

Petrie yawned widely and looked at Littlefoot with half-lidded eyes. "Okay. Goodnight, Littlefoot. Me don't know about bad sleep story but me hope you have good sleep."

Mama Flyer smiled. "We all hope for that. Goodnight, you three."

Everyone nodded and voiced their "goodnights" to Littlefoot and his grandparents before setting out into the night. Mama Flyer gave an unreadable glance at Ruby and Chomper but she and Petrie left with the rest of the families. Ruby and Chomper lingered long enough to add a wave.

"We know this is for your privacy, Littlefoot." Ruby said. "If you want to talk about the bad sleep story tomorrow, you can do so. If you don't, don't. Whatever makes you happy."

"We all have things we don't talk about." Chomper smiled weakly. "If you don't want to talk, we'll still be your friends."

Littlefoot smiled as they waved once more and vanished into the darkness of the trees. He appreciated the grownups and some of his friends didn't want to discomfort him by giving him an audience. His grandparents still appeared ready to call this off but he steadily met their gaze. Now he decided to be honest, he wanted to go all the way. He couldn't, wouldn't, keep this quiet any longer. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck recognized this resolve, and relaxed.

"Continuing on, then." Grandma Longneck said wryly. "What did happen in your sleep story, Littlefoot?"

Littlefoot took another breath, readying himself for the plunge. "It all – it all started when I woke up and I saw it was a perfect day. I was ready to have fun. Then I saw you two hadn't gotten up…"

 **Next time…**

 **New Arrivals Part 1**

* * *

 **Note:** And that's the end of arc one out of...five, I think, for this story. Tune in next month for the two opening chapters for arc two!

 **Note 2 on 11/19:** Welp, I might not be able to update by November's end after all. The monstrosity that is for now chapter 10 needed some scenes majorly changed and I'm rewording a lot of paragraphs as I go. I'm only through pages 37 out of _77_ and there might be more major edits in the future. It's all to give the best product I can make. Hopefully I can finish it and be able to post chapters 8 and 9 by December. On the bright side, there will be one month where you get chapters 10, 11, and 12 back-to-back. I doubt I'll be able to maintain the monthly chapter postings as I'm reaching the end of material I already wrote but we'll see. Anyway, thanks for sticking around for this story and I hope you can be patient.

 **Note 3 on 12/30:** So yeah, as you can tell by the date, I won't be posting chapters 8 and 9 this month after all. Chapters 10-12(or 13) took forever to complete one revision of. It's now over 90 pages! I'm on revision two of it all, and so far (knock on wood), it looks like this revision would be a lot faster. I might do one last third one but I'm more confident that the opening chapters for arc 2 will be posted by the end of January. So hang on!


	8. New Arrivals Part 1

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 08: New Arrivals Part 1**

By the time Littlefoot finished recounting his sleep story and his reaction to it, he and his grandparents were on their way to their nest. The whole tale wasn't long but Littlefoot felt like he was talking forever when he ended the story weakly by saying he then went to play with his friends. Throughout, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were silent, nodding encouragingly when Littlefoot slowed, and taking in every word even when they briefly detoured to wash their injuries. They didn't have anything to say when Littlefoot finished, not yet. The bright circle had descended and the lights of the night started winking in one by one, casting enough brightness that they arrived at their nest without any trouble, their long shadows following their every move. Only when they settled on the grass did anyone speak.

"I wish this was brought up sooner." Grandpa Longneck said, flicking his tail around himself. "But I understand why you didn't. It's an upsetting topic for many to face."

Littlefoot nodded, unable to meet their eyes. "Are you – do you still feel fine?"

"I feel a bit sore from fighting the sharptooth but it's far from the worst I've ever been injured." Grandma Longneck made a show of casually looking over his injuries. "I'm sure it'll pass."

"The same for me." Grandpa Longneck smiled reassuringly. "Why, I feel like the two of us will live on for some time yet. You won't be saying goodbye to us anytime soon."

"But what do we do when that happens?" Littlefoot asked.

His grandparents looked at one another before Grandma Longneck answered. "This mightn't be comforting for you, Littlefoot, but it's likely we won't pass together. Hopefully one of us will be around to look after you until you grow to be a fine longneck."

"And I have a feeling the one who will be looking after you will be Grandma." Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "Between the two of us, you always were the stronger one, dear."

"Oh, you stop it." Grandma Longneck whipped her tail at her husband fondly. The two of them laughed lowly.

Littlefoot couldn't crack a smile. "You did become sick around the time Ali's herd first came around. Maybe that will happen."

That quieted the laughter. "Yes, well." Grandpa Longneck said. "That reminds me – during that time, I said to you that if anything happened to me, you and Grandma should join Ali's herd for your protection. I hope to assure you we have made better preparations."

"Do I still have to leave?" Littlefoot asked. "I guess this time I would go with Dad and Shorty. I do like them…but I want to remain in the valley. I don't want to leave my friends, my home. Please don't make me go."

"Let us finish, Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck said. "Things have changed since Grandpa fell ill. We get along much better with the other grownups of the valley. We have had talks with your friends' parents and they have agreed that if anything happens to us, they will take you in. Even if you're old enough to take care of yourself, they will make sure to keep an eye on you."

"Don't underestimate how much they value you, Littlefoot." Grandpa Longneck said. "You have not only saved their children, your friends, but the whole valley multiple times. After all you have contributed, I'm sure you'll be welcomed warmly by the time we pass."

Littlefoot nodded reluctantly. He was a bit reassured he wouldn't have to depart from the Great Valley and could remain with his friends. But that dodged around Littlefoot's main concern.

"But what do I do when the signs come?" he asked. "Like with the Night Flower, I'll try to find a cure for anything that makes you sick but if nothing works, should I just stand there and wait? Wait for you to die?"

Grandpa Longneck sighed. "You're right. We still have much to do. Even in old age, you never stop finding things you want to learn or accomplish. We aren't eager to part with you anytime soon. We'll try be with you for as long as we can…but when the time finally comes, having your company, saying goodbye, will be really comforting to us. I'm sure your mother was comforted by your presence in her last moments. Making some peace with loved ones can make all the difference in making sure death holds some measure of happiness."

"That doesn't seem like much." Littlefoot said. "It'll be so sad. But…I'll do it for you."

"Such a process also brings comfort to the living." Grandma Longneck added. "As tough as it was to be with your mother when she died, we saw it gave you some closure. You got to have your last words and process it so you can continue living. Grandpa and I aren't unhappy by any means, with you and the friends we've made in the valley. Still…"

"As her parents, we wish we could have been with her in that moment." Grandpa Longneck said wistfully. "Every once in a while, we stop and think about what we could have said to her if we had the opportunity. There's always a little sting in our chests now that we can't speak to her. We have made our peace but still…hopefully you can be with us when the time comes. I don't want you to live with that kind of regret. Understand?"

Littlefoot inhaled slowly. "Yeah. I still don't like it but…yeah."

Grandma Longneck smiled. "We know you're a longneck of action Littlefoot, but the world turns on. No one can live forever. With that, sometimes there's only so much you can do. Though I know there's one action you can take that'll be very helpful to us."

"What's that?" Littlefoot asked.

"Sleep." Grandpa Longneck said.

In spite of himself, Littlefoot laughed. All the tension broke: it was a welcome change after so many hours of terror and uncertainty. He yawned and laid his head down, soothed by the sight of his grandparents following his example. They were fine and that made Littlefoot able to close his eyes more easily. The talk had helped, to some extent. He still had a place in the Great Valley no matter what happened and his grandparents' interest in staying alive for him as long as possible was a great relief.

Nevertheless, Littlefoot's stomach still curled at the thought of them dying while he was young. Their acceptance that it might be unavoidable didn't sit well with him. He didn't like how they wouldn't be with him for long in his life, to enjoy the potential joys he would go through. There must be a way to really help. There had to be, in this wide world where so much must be happening few dinosaurs know about. Unbidden, the resigned acceptance of the circle of life by Hyp's father, Mr. Clubtail, and Mrs. Threehorn echoed his mind.

There was also something else…

" _Even you haven't noticed the greatest terror – the one that has been staring you in the face this entire time."_

What did that mean? Littlefoot's mind didn't know how to look at the statement. Maybe the sharptooth wanted to mess with the gang as one last spiteful attempt to scare them before he faded. But his confusion and anger thereafter seemed too genuine. What could be around all the time that would scare them? Maybe it was the death and danger always occurring in the world but the gang weren't exposed to that most of the time. The sharptooth seemed to imply it was around even during peaceful days. Littlefoot was at a loss for what it was then, since he couldn't think of anything unusual in his many days of play and rest. Still, there was a stir of unease in his chest, as though some tiny part of him noticed something off about his life in the valley…

Littlefoot shoved those worries aside. He wasn't going to solve anything tonight, not with how drained he was. Littlefoot needed to sleep. He allowed himself to drift until he slipped into a calm, sleep story-less rest.

* * *

"Mama, it is okay," Ducky said, "me and Spike are not going to get into any trouble today, really."

"You didn't expect to get attacked by the ghost of that dead sharptooth yesterday." Mama Swimmer said sternly. "Who knows what's going to happen today. No, I want to make sure you and Spike stay where I can see you."

Ducky sighed and accepted a sympathetic nuzzle from Spike. She, Spike, their mother, and many of their brothers and sisters were walking in the midmorning sunshine, having already eaten breakfast. They were on their way to one of the Great Valley entrances where a herd was supposed to come through today. Some flyers had informed them of their arrival two day before and it was agreed by many of the grownups to present a united front in assuring the visitors the ghost situation was real and would be taken care of. After yesterday's close brush, Mama Swimmer had kept Ducky and Spike from running off like they did every morning, to make sure the pair remained safe.

"Will we be able to meet Littlefoot and the others today?" Ducky asked.

"Don't worry, we'll likely see them when we meet the herd." Mama Swimmer said. "If by the end of the meeting you both are cooperative and nothing troubling happens, I'll consider giving you time to play with your friends."

Ducky and Spike relaxed slightly. Not being able to spend all day with their friends was a bit disappointing, but the possibility spending some time with them was better than spending no time with them at all.

And at least there was a silver lining to this whole situation, in Ducky opinion. They were given more time to be with their brothers and sisters. They were all walking together, chatting, laughing, and even getting into mischief. A few of them climbed up on Spike with all the eagerness of those who used big loved ones as jungle gyms. Spike giggled and stood up straighter to rock back and forth as though he was bigger than he really was. There were startled cries and giggly whoops.

"Harder, Spike." A brother from the middle batch said eagerly.

"Yeah, I bet you can't rock harder." The eldest of the sisters teased.

Spike obliged by rocking a bit faster, earning more glad cries and he joined them in laughter, reveling in giving his siblings some safe thrills. Ducky laughed and a few of their other brothers and sisters did the same, pointing and clapping their hands to cheer their silliness on. While that happened, some talked with Ducky, and she was able to catch up with those she hadn't been having much conversation with.

"Hey Ducky, I just figured out how to do a flip!" A sister from her batch said eagerly. "I struggled with it so hard but now I can finally do it!"

Ducky gave her a high five. "Good job, Bill. I knew you could do it, yep, yep, yep."

A brother from the middle batch approached tentatively. "Uh Ducky, I've heard you talk about how you fight with your friends sometimes. I got into a fight with mine after I snapped at her while I was in a bad mood. How do I say sorry?"

"You explain why you snapped at her and try to make her feel better, Riv." Ducky said. "Sometimes, explaining your feelings helps, because then you can understand them better yourself and watch for them next time."

"That does sound reasonable." Riv nodded along, encouraged. "Thanks."

"Ducky, hi," said a young sister from the latest batch. "Uh, tag swim funny. More swim…ah…"

"I would love to do more swimming tag." Ducky said. "It is called swimming tag, it is, it is. You say fun when you like a game or funny when it's silly. I haven't swimmed much in the last few days, really, so I should…" she trailed off. "Wait, I meant swam. You say swam for past swimming. I guess you should not take speaking lessons from me, really, oh no, no, no."

There were a burst of chuckles from this sheepish pronouncement, and Ducky allowed herself to smile as she joined in. They were looking fondly on her and enjoying her company. There were none of the nervous and awkward looks that came when she talked about her friends' adventures and suggested they should come along. Right now, they appeared grateful she was spending some normal time with them, being her usual cheerful self, and Ducky was happy about this. At least in this way, she was helping her siblings. It smothered her anxieties about how much she really cared about others, and that was a plus.

She continued to engage with her siblings, dancing with a brother as they marched through puddles and catching up with one of the sisters she hatched with. Like with her youngest sister, she wasn't always graceful in words or movement but she didn't care. She was enjoying herself and they were having fun too, and that was what mattered. She loved being with her friends but she loved being with her siblings as well and was glad some time opened up where she could be with them.

While talking with a younger brother, a pronounced growl stirred up from Ducky's stomach and everyone looked at her, a bit stunned. Ducky blushed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Whoa, that was loud," said a sister.

"Almost as loud as Spike," said a young brother, bemused.

"Ducky, have you been eating?" Mama Swimmer asked. "You should have filled up while we had breakfast."

"But I have eaten Mama, I have eaten a lot!" Ducky said. "I do not know why I am hungry."

"Well, you and Spike didn't get a chance to have dinner since you nodded off as soon as we returned to the nest." Mama Swimmer said thoughtfully. "I assume that whole escapade yesterday took a lot more energy than you thought."

"That might be right." Ducky admitted. "But how come my brothers and sisters' stomachs aren't growling? Were they able to eat anything while underground?"

"The Tinysauruses gave us treestars from their stores," said a sister. "There were some bugs crawling on them but Guido ate them and they tasted pretty good."

"Which means you need to eat some more today." Mama Swimmer said. "Come, look around for any interesting green food and eat while we walk. I don't want us to linger any more than we have too."

There were good-natured chuckles, including a few from Spike, who shook his head fondly in Ducky's direction. That lasted until a louder growl came out and Spike froze, eyes darting about as attention now fixed on him. Ducky put her fists on her hips and leaned over.

"Looks like you cannot shake your head so wisely now," she said. "You did not have dinner either and you ran around just as much yesterday. Knowing you, you probably need to eat _more_. Do not go acting wise with me, oh no, no, no."

Blushing, Spike gave a self-conscious chuckle and lowered his head to Ducky's point. Smiling, she patted him reassuringly on the cheek. After his passengers disembarked, Ducky and Spike went over to investigate the green offerings in the area while Mama Swimmer and her other children waited with varying patience.

Spike immediately went over to the nearest bush and began munching it. Sometimes, Ducky wondered if Spike was just not picky and would take anything handed to him or if he was the sort who saw value in nearly every plant he came across and thought it would be criminal if he didn't at least have a taste. Whatever the case, he was already eating with great energy and Ducky wasn't going to be left behind.

She considered the foliage before her. All of it looked good but she was in the mood to eat something specific. Something peaked up from over a bush and she saw a familiar big leaf. She gave a soft gasp. It has been forever since she had big leaves from the tall grass. They were quite delicious but there was so much else to choose from that it eventually slipped from her mind. Now this favorite was going to make a comeback! Eagerly, Ducky walked through the bushes and set to break the nearest big leafed tall grass.

Out of nowhere, a set of spiketail spikes swung over her head.

Ducky screamed and nearly fell on her behind as she scrambled back out of the bushes. Spike, who had been eating placidly, jerked up alertly and moved to be at his sister's side. He bayed at her with concern, but Ducky waved it off.

"I am fine, Spike," she said. "What was that?"

The bushes rustled and someone emerged through the bushes.

"Kids, you might want to take yourselves else – oh."

Ducky and Spike stepped back. A woman spiketail turned around before them, chewing a piece of grass, the beginnings of middle-aged wrinkles appearing around her lips. She spat some of the grass out as she looked at them. Her dark eyes were laidback but there was a flicker of confusion in them as she looked down at the pair.

"Oops, my bad. Automatic reflex," she continued. Her words were ever so slightly slurred, as though she didn't see the point of putting extra energy into them. "Deal with a lot of people – difficult people. Yeah, that's what I meant."

"Oh, that is okay." Ducky said. "Sometimes, me and my friends are still jumpy after having an adventure. Um, can we have any of the food that you are standing close to?"

"Sure, knock yourself out." The woman spiketail waved her tail out and pressed it against the bushes, revealing the bounty within the small clearing. "Might as well get it over with. There is quite a selection to choose from."

Ducky hesitated, but went over with Spike to gather what appealed to her, her brother helping in snapping the big leafed grass from their stalks and reaching for other plants. All the while, the woman spiketail stood patiently, watching them with indifferent eyes. It wasn't exactly friendly but it wasn't hostile either and Ducky didn't know what to make of the look. Still, she and Spike quickly finished their selection and backed away from the clearing Tega occupied. Tega nodded appreciatively.

"Glad you didn't linger in getting what you wanted," she said. "Now we can be out of each other's scales."

"Um, thanks." Ducky said.

"No need to thank me. Just go and enjoy your food."

The woman spiketail went back to her place and sat down, chewing a bit more of her length of grass while observing Ducky and Spike, who stayed where they were and watched her. In the confusion churning inside her, Ducky started to feel rising tingles of familiarity.

"Hang on," she said slowly, "I feel like I have seen you before, I have, I -"

"Ducky, what was that scream about?"

Mama Swimmer wandered in, faintly concerned, trailed after by their puzzled siblings. She took in the scene of Ducky and Spike not far from the relaxing woman spiketail. Her concern turned into anger.

"What are you doing? Get away from her."

Mama Swimmer darted forward, stood in front of Ducky and Spike, and pushed them back as they cried out in surprise. Mama Swimmer glared at the woman spiketail.

"Ducky, Spike, has she been bothering you?" Mama Swimmer said.

"Hey, I wasn't bothering anybody." The woman spiketail replied. "I just gracefully offered my patch of green food to your kids. I do that too, you know. It can make people like them go away faster."

"Huh, go away?" Ducky said. "I thought you were sharing the green food with us."

"I'm not the sharing sort," she shrugged. "But your kind kick up a fuss when I say no. And if I really tried to drive you off, you all will harass me more than you already do."

"And for good reason, Tega." Mama Swimmer snapped. "You can't just claim certain areas of green to yourself and then whack people with your tail if they don't go away fast enough. It's only natural that would make you unpopular."

"Hey, others are territorial with their greens too." Tega said. "And if someone is insistent on getting into my turf, it's my right to defend myself. Really, have I given anything more than mild cuts to anyone?"

"That still doesn't excuse you. Especially since I've heard you like to sneak into other people's territory and eat their food before they get back."

"Those are nothing but rumors." Tega said smoothly. "There's never been any proof. You know how gossip spreads in the Great Valley. Now, is this over? You clearly got your kids away from me and I've got them away from my turf. We both clearly don't want to deal with the pain of being in each other's presence, so let's cut this accusation party short and move on, why don't we?"

Mama Swimmer gritted her teeth but only said, "Don't think our issues with you are over for this."

"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say."

Tega turned and marched out of sight. Mama Swimmer led Ducky and Spike, with their plant pickings in tow, back to the rest of their siblings. They were staring at Ducky and Spike, looking bewildered and a bit uncomfortable over what the pair got into. Ducky winced and looked away as they returned to the path and walked together. Ducky and Spike ate slowly in the awkward silence, watching Mama Swimmer's back as they considered what had transpired.

"Mama, who was that?" Ducky asked.

Mama Swimmer was quiet for several seconds, as though considering whether to answer. "That was Tega. She's one of the few spiketails in the valley. She keeps to herself, eating and not doing much of anything remarkable. Now, that by itself I don't have any issue with. Your friend Pat keeps to himself and he's a sweetheart. Mr. Clubtail is often seen alone, and though he can be grumpy, he isn't so bad. Tega, though…as you probably guessed from that exchange, she's not very considerate."

"She said she only allowed me and Spike to get food so we would go away." Ducky said sadly. "I thought she gave it to us because some part of her is nice."

Mama Swimmer smiled and patted her. "It's sweet you think of the best of others, but some individuals are very self-centered. As you just heard, people have complained about Tega sneaking in to take their green food and hurting others if they don't leave her alone. Since she rarely does these things in public, it's hard to pin these actions on her and she doesn't do them often enough to warrant discipline. She says she doesn't want people around to avoid drama and danger...but she's certainly not going to accomplish that by stepping on people's toes like this."

Spike oddly stirred at the "avoid drama and danger" part. He glanced back at where they left Tega, uncertainty mixing in his face as he appeared to turn some thoughts over. Ducky touched her chin as she also glanced back, taking in her mother's words.

"Me, Spike, and our friends saw her sleeping by the cave where we met the bellydragger and the sharpbeak," she said. "After we collapsed the cave, she seemed annoyed and wondered what we were doing."

"She probably wanted you kids to go away so she could rest." Mama Swimmer said. "Now I want you two to avoid Tega if you can. She treated you decently this time but if you see her again, don't approach. She hasn't done any harm to children that I know of but I don't want to take any chances. Please pass the word on to your friends. Understand?"

"Yes, Mama." Ducky said.

Spike made a noise of agreement, reluctantly returning his attention to filling his belly with his and Ducky's bounty. Mama Swimmer sent a brief smile to them.

"Now let's put aside Tega. We have a herd we need to make a good impression to. Not to mention you two have friends to see. That will make you happy, right? Let's focus on the important matters."

Ducky nodded. Her brothers and sisters were looking bored or uncomfortable with the conversation, and she didn't want to subject them to this anymore than they had to. Riv looked at her and Spike wonderingly.

"You and Spike sure meet some interesting people," he said.

"That's for sure." Bill said, shaking her head.

Ducky gave an awkward laugh. "Yeah, yeah." A pause. When she continued, it was with some facsimile of her normal cheer. "So, what are you all going to do when we're finished with this herd meeting? Play with your friends? Splash around in the Thundering Falls? Have I told you all about a fun way to have the water change your color?"

There were curious noises, and Ducky explained the method. Soon, she was back on cheery terms with her siblings. She tried to mentally put aside Tega as advised and focus on the moment, but the woman spiketail kept resurfacing in her mind. Her mother's mention of happiness inspired a new line of thought. From that brief meeting, Ducky got the impression of a grownup who approached everything with indifference. Ducky didn't doubt her mother's words about Tega stealing others' food and being a bit aggressive but she couldn't help wondering if any of that made her happy.

* * *

"Thanks for keeping us company, Petrie's mom." Ruby said.

"No problem, you two." Mama Flyer said warmly. "You do a good job of taking care of yourselves but after what happened yesterday, I thought there was nothing wrong with an adult keeping an eye on you now."

Ruby and Chomper were currently journeying to the herd meeting spot. Mama Flyer, Petrie, and his brothers and sisters accompanied them, some flying low while others hovered higher above to keep an eye on the path ahead. The family had swooped in as soon as Ruby and Chomper left their caves and Ruby was glad. The pair had slept next to each other that night but the nightmares were still unpleasant. Petrie and several of his siblings decided to do aerial acrobats around the two land walkers and the flyer youths' playful energy was a good enough distraction to dispel the bad sleep stories.

Petrie and the others seemed particularly determined to cheer up Chomper. They still owed him for saving Mama Flyer during the Days of Rising Water. Their wings brushed past Chomper enough times that he was giggling and clearly enjoying the game. He even waved up his arms and widened the space between his legs to provide more obstacles for Petrie and the others to fly around. Ruby laughed and occasionally did the same, watching with some wonder at the tricks they were able to do at such a young age. Even with this, Ruby couldn't help noticing Mama Flyer watching them fondly but beadily. Petrie circled Ruby's head and landed on her shoulder sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said. "Look like today 'Folks Worry About Us' day."

"I don't mind." Ruby said. "It's nice your mother's nice enough to include me and Chomper as part of their folks."

"Still, that mean we might not play as much." Petrie fidgeted. "Though that might be good thing. Me don't want yesterday to happen again."

"Don't worry," Ruby said uncertainly, "I'm – I'm sure the grownups' worries will ease enough that we'll be back to playing like always before we know it." She rallied. "Now all we have to worry about is easing the worries of the herd visiting today."

"Yeah." Chomper said as some of his cheer faded. "And I have the feeling that me standing around too openly isn't going to help much."

"Me thought…" Petrie's gaze lowered with a drop in confidence. "Well…me thought more people would know about Chomper by now."

Petrie's brothers and sisters noticed the drop in mood, and did several more aerial tricks that brought some light back into their eyes. Ruby patted Petrie.

"You'd be surprised by what word does or doesn't travel around," she said. "And even if they got word about him, that doesn't mean they'll accept him. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get word on the kind of hiding places that would be good for Chomper. From how some flyers saw it, we'll arrive at the meeting spot before the herd meets us, so we might find something there."

"Oh, I wouldn't know about that."

A shadow soared over and everyone looked up to see another adult flyer had joined the higher flyers. Don flapped with a smooth, graceful precision that belied his old age and he glared down at those below with some disdain.

"The path they are using doesn't have as many obstacles as the others and sharpteeth are less frequent there." Don continued. "They might already be here when you arrive."

Mama Flyer sighed. "What are you doing here, Don?"

"I'm merely correcting the young minds below us." Don replied. "Knowledge is power and they will need it. Is that so wrong?"

"Not really, but the information you gave is a bit outdated." Ruby said. "My family has been by that path and me and my friends have taken a few trips down it ourselves. The ground isn't as smooth, so it would be hard for the land walkers to walk as quickly. Not to mention the wind there could slow things down. You had some difficulty flying in it, right Petrie?"

"Huh?" Petrie said. "Oh yeah, me remember. Me had to hide in Cera's frill to not be blown away."

"So we're in no hurry to be hurried." Ruby continued. "Thanks for trying to help though."

Don didn't appear at all pleased by her expressed gratitude. If anything, he flushed, his lip curling in anger.

"Watch your tongue, girl!" he snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about."

A few of Petrie's siblings started, cut off guard while the others rolled their eyes, as though familiar with this reaction. Though jerking a bit in surprise, Ruby met Don's sudden temper calmly.

"Maybe the path was like that when you were around," she admitted. "But the earthshakes have changed things since then and the wind patterns have changed direction too. I remember what I saw clearly."

"You're still young. You don't have an elder observing eye."

"But there were cracks and the wind had changed." Petrie said. "Anyone could see it."

"That's enough lip from you. For Wing Father's sake, I won't be disrespected in this way. If you don't stop, I'll-"

"Don, control yourself!" Mama Flyer snapped. "Don't even think of hitting them. That's no way to handle disagreements, especially from how polite Ruby and Petrie are being."

"Hit him?" said one of Petrie's brothers, alarmed. "Hey, stay away from our brother!"

More than one of the adolescent flyers glared at him, wings flapping warningly. Don ignored them, gazing icily at Mama Flyer.

"This isn't a disagreement about favored tree sweets," he said. "For Wing Father's sake, this is a dispute about facts. We can only allow the youth to make so many mistakes before they have to be corrected and they can be quite stubborn in believing their falsehoods are truths."

"But grownups can be wrong too." Chomper said, slightly puzzled. "Even old ones. They can be especially stubborn about being told they're wrong."

"Don't lump me in with such idiots. They refused to listen to their elders and have never nurtured their minds to see the world the way it actually is." Don surveyed the children seriously. "I can see that this generation is going to make the same mistakes. Do you really think you can hide the sharptooth?"

"Of course. Chomper is, um…" Petrie glanced at Chomper sheepishly, "Not big. We hide him in bush with big leaves. No one has good nose like Chomper and if they don't know he here, they won't look for him."

Don sneered. "Naïve. Sharpteeth aren't the only ones with good noses." He began to ascend. "There is more than one way to track someone down. If you continue your ignorant ways, you'll realize that soon enough."

And with that, Don flew out of sight, a few of Petrie's brothers and sisters rolling their eyes and jeering as he left. Ruby and Petrie stared after Don, still absorbing his words. Ruby found it hard to resist what he said about her ignorance. It stung, especially after yesterday. Petrie lowered his eyes.

"Naïve," he mumbled. "Me – me think me not that. Am I?"

"We're all naïve in some way." Mama Flyer said. "Don was just saying that to put you down. He has rarely taken criticism well in his old age."

"You mean he has in his young age?" Ruby asked.

"If he has taken criticism, it mustn't have been much. From what I heard, he was a wise and well-respected person of his flock. His experience and wisdom had guided them well but when the land and the dinosaurs began to change, he had trouble adapting. When he made mistakes, he began making excuses and lashing out at others. That hasn't made him popular, so he has been keeping to himself, especially a night circle cycle back after an incident with a sharptooth. He's often said he doesn't want to be around those who would disrespect his knowledge."

"Hmpth." Petrie crossed his arms. "Maybe if he didn't start disrespecting us, he might get some of it back."

"Don't think too much about his words." Mama Flyer reassured. "He only says those mean things to make himself feel good."

"Hmm." Ruby looked anxiously at where he disappeared off to. "His words about Chomper did sound like a warning."

"What he says is usually about getting some attention for himself." Mama Flyer replied. "Whether it's true or not is secondary to his concerns. Come, we mustn't dawdle if we don't want to be late for the meeting."

"Will Papa be there?" Petrie asked.

"No, unfortunately." Mama Flyer said. "With how our conversations the last few days, I think he wants to stay away from this supernatural drama."

Petrie was a bit disappointed. Still, he was in better spirits as he took off from Ruby's shoulder and they continued moving. He couldn't help noticing as he flew Ruby still appeared thoughtful. Ruby noticed this about herself but her mind was focused on the warning tone Don suddenly adopted before he flew away.

* * *

Littlefoot stood by his grandparents in a large clearing with many other grownups. He was relieved to note that his friends were present and not far off. Though from how close they were to their families (And in Ruby and Chomper's case, Mama Flyer), their parents must still be jittery and wanted to make sure if something went wrong, at least their children were in sight. Littlefoot understood and sympathized but he wondered if they would be allowed to hang out even under their parents' watchful eye.

He was far from the only one not happy about the current arrangements. Mr. Clubtail stood right by Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, swishing his tail, and eying the bright circle impatiently.

"Why do I have to get up early?" Mr. Clubtail grumbled. "It's not like I'm needed anyway."

"The herd needs to be presented with a united front." Grandma Longneck said. "It'll be hard to convince them that ghosts are real, so if we're all here, that might give pause to their doubts."

"Hmpth." Mr. Clubtail looked around. "Not everyone is here though."

"Not everyone can be." Grandpa Longneck said. "That would be quite a feat and it would intimidate rather than reassure the herd. Many have needs and duties to attend to, so it's up to us who can make it to fulfill our public responsibility. Don't worry, it won't be long. We'll let you go as soon as matters are settled."

Mr. Clubtail didn't appear pleased by this explanation but settled for muttering. "I also have needs to attend to. Staying up tonight is going to be an even bigger hassle now I have to do this."

Grandma Longneck smiled apologetically before glancing down. "Are you feeling alright, Littlefoot?"

"Huh?" Littlefoot suddenly realized he was rubbing his chest. "Oh, it's nothing. My chest just feels a little cold. I must have slept on a cold spot, that's all."

Grandma Longneck nodded before returning her attention forward. Littlefoot didn't pay much attention to Mr. Clubtail's continuing grumbles. He was watching his grandparents carefully. Despite the troubles of yesterday, they all went to sleep early and they appeared wide awake. Some of the scratches and bruises from the battle with the sharptooth came in the light of the new day but if they were providing any problems for the elderly couple, they didn't show it. They had all the energy and alertness of people who long experienced struggle and thus weren't going to be downed easily by a simple battle. In some ways, Littlefoot was reassured.

*They're stronger than I sometimes think. It looks like my worries might be overblown.*

Nevertheless, Littlefoot couldn't help stepping closer to his grandparents. After the nightmare of yesterday, even after their talk the night before, he still felt jittery about wandering too far from their presence. He knew the feeling would go away with time and he ached that his friends were in sight but he couldn't be with them for now. Nevertheless, he was guilty to admit he felt some contentment with being in his grandparents' presence.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Chomper had wandered away from Petrie's family, the former gazing around speculatively at the foliage behind the line of dinosaurs.

"Let's see." Ruby hummed. "What's a good place where no one can see you but you can see everyone else?"

"It'd better be someplace I'm not allergic too." Chomper said. "I remember having to hide in a bush from a bad sharptooth and when I came out, I had itchy bumps all over. It took forever for them to go away."

"We'll pick something good," she reassured. "Let's see…that's too prickly, you can see through the leaves of that bush, and that tree's too high for you to sit in-"

Before she could go on, Chomper suddenly sniffed and looked back at the path with concern.

"Uh Ruby, I can smell the herd coming," he said. "You might want to hurry it up."

"Oh, hurrying up is not always good for getting up ideas." Ruby said. "Wait – what about others' ideas! Hey, does anyone have a good idea of a place we can hide Chomper!"

The other dinosaurs gazed at them with a mix of bemusement and annoyance. Some started looking back at the foliage to be of assistance but Cera was the first to call out.

"There's a bush with big leaves near where we're standing," she said. "He's surely not going to be seen in there."

Ruby and Chomper rushed off in the direction of Cera's family, only slowing to give a thankful wave to Mama Flyer. Once within reach, Cera helped push Chomper to the bush behind the threehorns. Mr. Threehorn watched them disgruntledly.

"More nonsense with Chomper?" he said. "Cera, you were too close to a sharptooth yesterday, why-"

"Don't even start, Dad." Cera said. "He's too much of a sap to be a threat."

"Not to mention Chomper helped when we were fighting that sharptooth." Ruby said. "Without his helpful sniffer, we wouldn't have gotten back to Cera and the others, and did the plan that defeated the sharptooth."

Mr. Threehorn grumbled but only said, "Well, hurry it up then."

With Tricia looking on and babbling with curious amusement, Cera and Ruby rushed Chomper into the big-leafed bush. As they lifted up the leaves to push him in deeper, Chomper looked up at Cera, annoyed.

"Did you have to call me a sap?" he said.

"I was only talking about how mushy you are, not you're size." Cera said impatiently. "Geez, you have more height issues then Littlefoot. Can we concentrate on the issue at hand now?"

"When the herd becomes distracted or quiet, I'll signal when it's a good time to leave." Ruby said. "Now though would be a good time to be quiet."

Abruptly, she and Cera let the leaves fall down and shield him from view. Chomper made a muffled startled sound but immediately quieted. Satisfied, Cera and Ruby walked off so as to not attract attention to the bush and stood next to Mr. Threehorn, Tria, and Tricia.

They were just in time, Littlefoot observed. Several shapes were already emerging into view up from the path into the valley. As they got closer, Littlefoot noted they were a mixed herd, with big and medium-sized dinosaurs of all shapes walking together. Littlefoot glimpsed a longneck, a two-crested swimmer, and a threehorn, among many others. At the head of the pack was a spikethumb, who moved seriously and with authority. Those sharp eyes glimpsed Grandpa and Grandma Longneck. Recognizing another authority figure, the spikethumb made a slow, dignified beeline for them. When the spikethumb at last reached Littlefoot's grandparents, Grandma Longneck nodded invitingly.

"Welcome to the Great Valley," she said. "I hope you're journey has been safe."

"Physically, at least." The spikethumb replied, her husky voice identifying her as a woman. "Tell me, is it true the Great Valley is as safe as rumor says? That dinosaurs here live in peace with no fear of danger."

"No place is immune from danger." Grandpa Longneck said. "Sometimes, a sharptooth might get through and the weather can be a hassle among other stranger threats. Still, the valley is safe compared to other places. We value our lives here."

"Stranger threats." The spikethumb leader repeated. "Tell me, what are those strange threats? Even if they're rare, I must know what they are so I can protect my herd. Do they relate to the injuries some of you possess? There must be a reason so many of you are here to greet us. Spare us our feelings. It's better to be informed and scared than live oblivious to danger."

Everyone went quiet. The spikethumb leader's herd watched Littlefoot's grandparents attentively and there was a nervous hush from the present valley denizens. The herd suddenly glanced at the gang's parents, noting their purpling bruises and red healing wounds warily. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck exchanged worried glances, weighing what words they should use. The spikethumb leader's stare was unwavering, as though she could clearly see the longnecks' thoughts and she wasn't going to hold back anger if deceit was involved. At least, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck sighed.

"I know this might be hard to believe but these past few days, we've been dealing with a…well, let's be frank… a ghost problem." Grandpa Longneck said. "This isn't just wild rumor. We have personally seen six of them ourselves."

The herd stirred nervously, and whispers followed. The spikethumb leader's face was inscrutable.

"Ghosts, you say?" she said.

"So far, only seven of them." Grandma Longneck answered. "When these ghosts come around, only those who were close to them can see them. Six returned to reunite with loved ones and one returned to seek vengeance against his enemies. They make those close to them believe they've always been alive, and they fall under that belief too. Once they're forced to confront they're dead, they fade. Only two have been hostile so far, but…the real damage comes from the emotional wounds they leave behind."

"Emotional damage?" The spikethumb leader said. "So they're only a torment of the mind?"

"Not exactly." Grandpa Longneck said. "The latest one, a sharptooth ghost, was able to become angry enough to inflict physical damage on others, as can be seen from some of our injuries. We were lucky to survive. We're aware this might be hard to believe, but many here have seen at least one. It's the truth."

"So ghosts of passed loved ones and enemies are coming back and unwittingly or otherwise causing emotional turmoil to others. Have I got that right?"

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck nodded warily. For a moment, Littlefoot and the others watched the spikethumb leader stoically consider these words, expecting her to laugh or scoff at their supposedly ludicrous claim. To everyone's surprise, the spikethumb leader's expression instead became troubled.

"So…not even the valley is safe from this danger," she said softly.

This time, it was the watching valley denizens who stirred and started trading whispers. Littlefoot's grandparents were shocked.

"So these ghosts are appearing out there too?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"Common enough that they're spoken of wherever we go." The spikethumb leader replied. "Only a lucky few have not had their community blighted by them. The situation you describe has been reported elsewhere – wherever these phantoms go, they spread despair and sadness in their wake. I haven't seen them myself but enough have begged to join this herd for that reason that I have a hard time disbelieving ghosts anymore. We're all seeking sanctuary from the emotional damage of these ghosts but this is the first time I've heard one has caused physical harm. That is…troubling. These ghosts could be one-time events or hints of threats to come. Whatever it is, one thing seems clear – there seems to be no place to go to where anyone can escape them."

There was a heavy silence. Many wore apprehensive and uncertain expressions. This wasn't limited to the Great Valley and the surrounding area. This was going on from wherever word could spread, and it was hard to grasp the size and implications of this phenomena. Littlefoot looked down, heart heavy. He had no idea what this meant or foretold. He dreaded what might come and what it could mean for those he loved wherever they were.

Yet Littlefoot was mostly aching that these false reunions were more widespread than he imagined, occurring between friends, family, and enemies. All those promises to do more together, to mend relationships, to settle unfulfilled scores, would shatter into heartbreak when the truth came out. How many times have loved ones had to exchange tearful farewells before one of them faded forever? How many more times shall those painful scenes occur? The thought that any person, friend or stranger, would have to go through this, once or even more times, broke Littlefoot's heart. Bad enough death was a reality. But to have loved ones reappear only to be ripped away again? He wished there was something he could do.

Everyone else was quiet as well, contemplating whether this hinted at a bigger disaster or new normal. No one knew which would be worse. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck surveyed the others and attempted to put on reassuring smiles.

"Please be assured, the valley is still a very safe place." Grandpa Longneck said. "Though people have been hurt both physically and emotionally, death is rare and even then mostly through age or sickness. So far, only one ghostly event has occurred per day and we've already come up with a system for how to deal with them. If you want to stay, we'll do our best to make sure that you're protected."

"If you want to move on to somewhere else, at least rest and rejuvenate for a few days." Grandma Longneck said. "We have had herds pass through the valley before and we can suggest routes to use if you have a specific destination in mind."

"We'll consider your proposal." The spikethumb leader turned to her herd. "Everyone, we're going to stay here for a few days. Don't go wandering off but you can eat and chat with the valley residents now. I'll speak to these longnecks so we can plan our next course of action. Now, can you give more detail about…"

As his grandparents and the spikethumb leader talked, Littlefoot couldn't help noticing Mr. Threehorn hadn't said anything. In previous meetings, he always at least made his opinions known and more often ignited tempers with his incendiary statements. Now, Mr. Threehorn had only watched stoically. The little emotion Littlefoot could glimpse was guilt and anxiety when the ghost conversation came up. Apparently, Mr. Threehorn was still reeling from his reunion with the ghosts of his family and having inadvertently made the sharptooth a bigger threat. He barely seemed to have any of his old fire in him. Littlefoot disagreed with Mr. Threehorn on many things, but seeing his friend's father so drained and downcast disturbed him. Littlefoot might want him to let go of some of his beliefs, but he didn't want him to be unhappy.

From how Tria was acting, he wasn't the only one preoccupied either. She remained reserved and unsure, quite unlike her easygoing cheerful self. She would risk glances at her mate filled with either concern or reproach. Littlefoot didn't know what was going on between them but the strain in their normally affectionate bond was clear. Cera would sometimes look at her parents and sigh. She was just as ignorant about the issue and seemed caught between worry and exasperation.

With the spikethumb leader's dismissal, the herd disbanded from their formation behind her. Many have already noticed the plentiful green food in the surrounding trees and bushes and made a beeline for them. Some only moved far enough to sit down and relax after a many days' travel. A few even wandered the immediate area, looking around curiously and chatting up the valley locals. There was a certain ease with these actions. The worry about the ghosts had been tabled for now and most had determinedly moved on to give at least the appearance of being interested in lighter concerns.

Among the wandering herd members was a threehorn. He looked around curiously, taking everything in with sky blue eyes. His mossy green skin was worn and tough, as though he faced a lot of tough obstacles in life and he had the muscles to show he came out stronger for them. His stroll was casual and he took his time milling from one part of the area to the other, deftly cutting between dinosaurs, appearing to take down every detail he could see. It was on one of these sweeps that he passed by Cera's family. He gave a casual look at Mr. Threehorn, then did a double take.

"Topps?" The threehorn said.

Mr. Threehorn's eyes focused…and then widened. "Verter?"

The threehorn known as Verter stepped closer, disbelief swiftly subsumed by delight. "It's you…it's really you. Hello, old pal."

All the life came back into Mr. Threehorn's face. Laughing, he and Verter clanked their horns together in a complicated gesture, with the old surety of having done it many times before. When they disengaged, they stared at each other, glowing.

"Wow, how have you been?" Verter said. "Man, you look like you've been through a lot."

"Look who's talking?" Mr. Threehorn retorted, smirking. "You look like you fought every sharptooth you could find to get here."

Verter raised his head proudly. "Looks good on me, doesn't it? I do often recommend the battle worn look to other threehorns but for some reason they don't find being hit in the face by a sharptooth's tail a dozen times appealing."

They laughed heartily. Cera glanced between the two, not sure what to make of this stranger and their camaraderie. Tricia made a questioning warble and Cera though she faintly heard Chomper make an ever-so-slight confused sound. Cera turned to Tria to make a wry comment only for her stepmother to approach Verter, stunned.

"It really is you, Verter." Tria said.

Verter turned and did another double-take. "Tria? You're here too? Why, this is quite a reunion! So you two decided to make this valley your home."

"Oh, we came here separately but," Tria blushed, "we did make another decision together."

Mr. Threehorn lowered his eyes awkwardly. Verter looked at him, Tria, and back again, face blank. Then something clicked.

"You're…together? As in a couple? Wow, I didn't think that was…congratulations. I guess some things do last beyond childhood." Verter smirked. "Tell me, does he still turn into a stuttering mess when you flirt with him?"

Tria looked at her mate teasingly. "I don't know. What do you think, handsome?"

"Tria." Mr. Threehorn said, blushing and averting his eyes. "Must you?"

Verter chuckled. "That's the spirit. I'm glad there are some things that don't change in life."

Tria giggled and even Mr. Threehorn raised his head with a smile of mirth. Before the three could say anything more, an impatient voice interceded.

"Excuse me Dad, Tria, are any of you going to explain who this is?"

The three looked down. Cera looked at them with a mixture of annoyance and interest, Tricia pressing close to her, eying the threehorn stranger curiously. Coughing sheepishly, Mr. Threehorn stepped forward.

"Cera, Tricia, this is Tria and I's friend Verter. We knew each other during the Time of Great Growing. Verter, these are our precious daughters, Cera and Tricia. Say hello, girls."

Tricia trotted up and mumbled a collection of syllables that were her closest approximation to a greeting. Cera gave a proud yet not unfriendly nod.

"Hello, I guess," she said.

Verter lowered down and stared at the girls, fascinated. "My, kids too? I should have known this Cera was your daughter. She has your attitude."

Cera raised her head proudly. "Thank you. I learn from the best. Though I'll probably not learn that weird horn trick. What was it anyway? Some kind of guy thing?"

"It's a Time of Great Growing thing." Tria said. "You tend to become a bit strange while you're becoming an adult."

"I'm already plenty weird, how weird can this Time of Great Growing make me? Will I suddenly float in the air like a flyer? Will I wake up one day and suddenly know how to speak sharptooth?"

Verter chuckled. "She has your wit too. Like father, like daughter. I guess that's only natural, eh? Are you strong like your dad, Cera? I've seen him crack some mighty boulders when we were young."

"Cracked some, toppled others, I'm racking up experience." Cera said casually.

"Not too long ago, Cera pushed down a particularly big rock to drain a lake and put out some fire-water," Mr. Threehorn said. "Helped save a friend's father. She's really useful when danger's afoot."

"Fascinating." Verter said, watching Cera. "Well girl, if you're this strong now, you'll be freaky strong when you grow up. I can see you smashing apart boulders even bigger than any of us."

"Uh, thanks." Cera said. Her smirk was a bit skeptical but amused. "If that's one way I'll be freaky, I won't mind it at all."

There were laughs. Ruby chuckled, and Cera could barely make out Chomper's suppressed giggles. Cera couldn't resist a genuine smile. She couldn't help liking Verter. It wasn't because he praised her, though being buttered up was nice. There was a wit and personable charm about him that made him easy to talk to. He also dragged Mr. Threehorn and Tria out of their morose states and got them smiling and laughing again. In Cera's book, that was a great point in Verter's favor. Verter looked around as the laughs ceased and he spotted Ruby quietly standing near the threehorn family in front of Chomper's bush.

"Is that a fast runner?" Verter said, bemused. "What's she doing in the valley?"

"She's Ruby." Cera said quickly, moving to stand beside her. "She's a friend of mine. She had to go here after some sharptooth trouble in the Mysterious Beyond and the valley gave her permission to stay."

"Interesting." Verter murmured. "Don't fast runners eat meat and eggs, with a usual diet of greens?"

"The egg thing is not true for my kind." Ruby explained. "It's some rumor that got out of hand. I eat a lot of the green food everyone else eats. As for meat, it's mostly snapping shells."

"In other words, her diet doesn't include us." Mr. Threehorn said firmly. "That wiggle room allows a few kinds like her to live in the valley."

"Ah, so it seems your circle of friends fall under the definition of weird too." Verter teased.

Cera laughed nervously. "Ah, you don't know the half of it. All of them are here right now – there's Littlefoot the longneck, that's Petrie the flyer, and Ducky and Spike are over there with their mother. Spike's adopted, so that's why he's with the swimmer family. Most of them are weird – Ducky and Petrie speak strangely, Spike doesn't speak at all, and Littlefoot's always moralizing – but there's a reason I stick with them. They're there for me when I have a problem and when we're on adventures, they're helpful when we come across danger."

"And they come across danger far more than I like." Mr. Threehorn said sternly. "I've never really approved of these escapades she and her friends get into."

"If you don't approve, why did you just brag about what she accomplished on one of these escapades?" Tria teased.

Mr. Threehorn huffed. "Well, if she's going to be successful at things in these adventures, I'd be letting down my duty as a father if I did _not_ brag about them."

Verter barely appeared to be listening. He was scanning the area, visually pausing on every friend Cera noted.

"So all of your friends are here, huh?" Verter said.

"That's right." Cera answered. "We kind of had some close calls with the more dangerous ghosts, so our parents want us to be nearby."

"I see. Where they can see you?"

Ruby nodded. "My folks aren't here, but my friends' folks try to look after me in their place."

Verter stepped closer to Cera and Ruby, having another look at Littlefoot and the others before glancing at Cera and Ruby. Strangely, he also eyed the grass behind them.

"If the parents are so worried about close calls, why are they allowing a child to hide in the bushes behind you?"

Before Cera and Ruby could react, Verter closed the distance and lifted the big-leaves of the bush with one mighty swoop of his horn. Chomper cried out and attempted to back deeper into the bush, but too late, he was clearly visible in the full morning daylight. Verter froze, shock radiating from every pour at what he was seeing.

"Is that a…sharptooth?" he said. "A juvenile sharptooth? What's it doing -?"

Cera and Ruby immediately slid in from the sides, standing in front of Chomper.

"Chomper's not a threat!" Cera said. "His name's Chomper, and he's the sweetest guy I know. He wouldn't hurt any of us."

"He only needs to eat bugs and occasionally snapping shells." Tria said quickly. "He came with Ruby to get away from that sharptooth problem Cera mentioned."

"The valley knows, and gave us permission to stay." Ruby said. "The only reason we hid him is because meeting new people is always risky."

"That's right." Chomper nodded rapidly. "I once had a herd of longnecks chase me. I had to run very fast in order not to get stepped on. I won't hurt any of my friends or your friends, I swear-"

"Amazing." Verter interrupted. He stared at Chomper, fascinated. "It – he can talk. Are you kids really friends with this sharptooth?"

"Me and my friends even witnessed his birth." Cera said. "We ran screaming from him too – long story – but that was before we really got to know him. He's been with us for I don't know how many cold times and he's been pretty helpful when we get into trouble."

"I wasn't present at his birth but I was present when we became friends in the Mysterious Beyond." Ruby said. "He's a very good friend and he always has something nice to say that makes me feel good."

"Sounds like a swell guy." Verter said. He turned to Chomper. "Hello, Chomper. Unless you didn't catch it, my name's Verter. Sorry for scaring you there. I was just having a little fun catching you off-guard but it turns out you're the one who caught me off-guard."

Cautiously, Chomper relaxed. "That's okay. Some of my friends are like that. How did you find me anyway?"

"I picked up your voice and saw the grass and bush was disturbed." At Chomper's guilty wince, Verter hastily added. "Don't take it personally. I've trained myself to notice when people might be hiding. Comes in real useful when dealing with predators and rivals."

"Is that so?" Ruby said, rubbing her chin. "I didn't think about that…"

"Anyway, you must come in real handy with your friends." Verter continued. "Intimidating bullies with a simple look? Getting rid of obstacles with that sharptooth strength? You and Cera must work together a lot."

"Oh, no." Chomper smiled self-consciously. "I'm not very scary looking. I usually don't want to be, but when I try, the others just laugh and think I'm funny. I'm not very strong either. Cera works with Littlefoot and Spike to push down things more, they're the strong ones in the group."

"Don't underestimate yourself. There's a saying that the nicest guys can be quite scary and tough if wronged in some way."

"Yeah, well." Chomper rubbed the back of his head. "I do have a good sniffer. I can track down friends and warn about enemies in a pinch. I'm quite proud of that. I even taught Spike how to sniff down stuff like me too."

"Now that is handy." Verter said.

"I can even smell some blood on you."

Verter's smile froze. "What?"

The threehorn family and Ruby double-taked at the statement and even some nearby dinosaurs looked around. Chomper frowned as he tilted his head, nostrils flaring as he took another whiff.

"Yeah, it's faint but it's there," he said. "It's not yours. Where did it come from anyway?"

Verter shifted ever so slightly. Ruby glanced at Chomper with concern.

"Uhh, Chomper…"

"Huh?" Chomper said blankly. He jumped guiltily. "Oh, sorry! I didn't realize how creepy that sounded. You don't need to answer it, just…"

"No, it's okay." Verter recovered with a head shake. "I can answer. That blood must have come from fighting sharpteeth and…some threehorn battles. Out there in the Mysterious Beyond, people can be quite aggressive or want to eat you, so you sometimes have to be a bit bloody so they would get out of your face."

"I can confirm the threehorn thing." Tria said. "It's one of the reasons I came to the valley. It's tiring to deal with that nonsense."

"Hmm." Verter then glanced at Chomper with a smile. "It's a hard life but it's what you have to do to survive. I know smelling it might've been a bit creepy for you but…"

"Oh, it's fine." Chomper waved dismissively. "I've smelled blood on some of the dinosaurs who live here too. I just guess they did some things in the past they aren't proud of and want to be quiet about it."

Some nearby dinosaurs who listened to the conversation shuffled back warily. Verter watched Chomper beadily.

"Now that is real handy." Verter said. "Don't go underestimating that skill. It would be mighty useful. Don't do that for your strength either. I'm sure it'll come around if you work at it."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Chomper said modestly.

"I'm being serious! I'm sure you'll grow handy in strength too soon. Some of the strongest opponents I had were sharpteeth. Don't you lose hope."

Even with some doubt, Chomper rose a bit, encouraged. "Do-do you think so?"

"Yeah, but in your case, you'll use your strength to smash away obstacles and carry your friends. It'll happen, but it's a matter of preparing as you grow. Some might find your strength intimidating, but once they see how nice you are, you'll be popular. Kids will beg you to give them rides and there will be those who want to wrestle with you. If any of your friends are being annoying, you could always squish them with a hug. That would shut them up."

Chomper laughed, delighted by mental image of walking up to his friends and pinning them down with a hug. Some would struggle and huff while others would roll along and have fun with it. Mr. Threehorn coughed and rather pronouncedly cleared his throat. Even Tria awkwardly averted her gaze. Ruby's smile was tolerant but nervous. Cera could understand why. The topic of Chomper's future in the valley as he grew was an awkward one, at its most optimistic filled with complications. Cera quickly pushed those thoughts away in favor eying Chomper dryly.

"If you try that on me," she said, "I'll sit on you."

Chomper giggled. "Not if I sit on you first."

Cera walked up to Chomper and pushed him down. Chomper got right back up and clung to Cera's face, the pair pushing back and forth in playful challenge. Tria and Ruby looked on fondly, Tricia cheering her sister on, while Mr. Threehorn sighed and rolled his eyes. Verter watched thoughtfully.

"You two have such potential," he said. "It would be a shame to have it gone to waste or not awakened sooner. Can you hear out a proposal, Cera and Chomper? What do you think of me training you?"

Cera and Chomper stopped their shoving contest to stare at Verter in confusion.

"Training us?" Cera said, stirring.

"What do you mean?" Chomper asked. "And would you train sharpteeth?"

"Let's just say I met enough sharpteeth to have a good idea of what it takes to make them stronger." Verter said. "C'mon, it'll be great."

"That sounds nice," Cera said, "but do you know anything about train-"

"I've gone through the training threehorns get during the Time of Great Growing. It's called the Threehorn Ascension – a spiffy name, has a nice ring to it – and I think you kids are experienced enough to be up for it." Verter briefly turned to show his rough skin and rippling muscles "Many threehorns have gone through these thorough trials and have ended up stronger for it. If you two are still going come across dangers, you might as well prepare right?"

"That does sound useful." Chomper said thoughtfully.

"We did train to swim after nearly drowning one too many times." Cera admitted. "I think I might've heard of this Threehorn Ascension before. But how thorough are its trials?"

"Very thorough." Verter's face got closer, almost filling Cera's vision. She felt Tricia lean into her foreleg. "There are laps to build endurance, rock ramming practice to learn how to break apart boulders of various sizes, sparring to finesse fighting abilities…it runs the full gambit for what a threehorn needs to learn to be strong in this tough world and much of it also applies to sharpteeth. You'll come out of the exercise stronger and braver, and you'll be of greater assistance to those you wish to help. What do you say? Does that sound useful to you?"

Chomper nodded eagerly. "It does, it really does!"

"It's been awhile since I got a really good workout." Cera said, slowly smirking. "I might check it out to see how tough of a threehorn I really am."

"Great! As soon as I get a lay of the land here, I'll tell you when we'll start and-"

"Hang on!" Tria interrupted. "I don't think these kids are ready for that kind of tough training."

Verter aimed a tolerant smile at her. "From the sound of their adventures, they sound pretty ready to me."

"Surviving on your own and finding ways out of danger on the spot is one thing. Taking these Threehorn Ascension regiments is a whole other level. It's tough in ways these children mightn't understand. Even with the proper supervision, many during the Time of Great Growing and even some adults have collapsed from the sheer rigor of it. I would know, even I couldn't-" Tria stopped, glancing away with some embarrassment, before forcing herself to continue. "It's not safe for children, even for children as hardy and adventurous as Cera and her friends."

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far." Verter said. "I wouldn't have them roll giant boulders up hills or scale cliffs. The training will be hard but I'll have it be age-appropriate."

"Still, even a basic version of the training is taxing on such young bodies." Tria replied. "They're still growing. If something gets strained the wrong way, it could affect them in later life. Tell them, Topsy."

"Huh, what?" Mr. Threehorn said, blinking.

"You went through those trials. You still have some of the aches from it. Do you think even a modified version would be appropriate for these two?"

He looked at Tria's stern, expectant expression and Verter's eager, hopeful countenance, appearing like he didn't want to be caught up in this argument. Mr. Threehorn turned to Cera and Chomper, looking them up and down, taking in their small, youthful forms. His face showed the clear conflict of his loyalties but something fatherly seemed to win out and he turned to Verter.

"I'm sorry, but I have agree with Tria." Mr. Threehorn said. "Cera and Chomper are too young. There's a reason we wait until the Time of Great Growing to do the Threehorn Ascension. Less of your body is developing then and you have more of an idea of what you're doing. My daughter and her friends go through enough risks, I don't want to throw another in their lives if I can help it."

"I see." Verter said. He almost looked disappointed. "Well, you're the father around here. It's understandable why you'd want to protect them."

There was an awkward silence. Tricia, who had been leaning nervously into her sister's leg, relaxed. Cera and Chomper had mixed reactions. Though Verter's proposal was enticing, Tria's counterargument woke them up to the downsides of such training. Chomper in particular appeared caught between wanting to improve himself and not wishing to get unnecessarily hurt. Though she thought it might be a fun challenge, a small part of Cera couldn't deny being relieved. Verter had been pushing the idea a bit too strongly, and it was almost overwhelming. Looking almost guilty, Tria coughed and looked around.

"So, what have you been up to since we last saw you Verter," she said. "You must have some interesting stories to tell."

Verter seemed encouraged by this track. "Oh, like you wouldn't believe. I haven't gone through the adventures Cera and her friends had, but I've met some interesting characters," he chuckled. "For example, there was that one time I was having a friendly sparring match with another threehorn and she stopped me mid-charge just so she could eat some weird tangly vines, because they were her favorite. She took so long to fill her stomach I thought she forgot about our match and…"

Soon, he was having them laughing once more and they all put aside that awkward moment. Cera glimpsed her happy parents and Chomper's laughter, and sighed contently. After all the doubt and pain of the last few days, it was nice to laugh and be silly again. Ever since Verter said the first word, she hadn't thought about the pain of her dead mother and sisters or the terror of the sharptooth ghost, and that was a blessing. Cera hoped this Verter character stuck around. She had a feeling they would need some joy if these ghosts problems weren't going away anytime soon.

 **Next time…**

 **Part 2**


	9. New Arrivals Part 2

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 09: New Arrivals Part 2**

Littlefoot watched with relief as Cera, her family, and Chomper laughed at Verter's tall tales. He had been worried when Verter came close to Chomper's hiding spot but now all misunderstandings appeared to have been swept away. The only one who wasn't enjoying herself was Ruby. She was standing to the side, her pondering expression troubled. He waved his tail to get her attention, making his expression of concern clear. Ruby looked bemused but then shook her head and smiled reassuringly. Whatever was bothering her was no big deal and Littlefoot needn't talk to her about it.

Nodding reluctantly, Littlefoot turned away. The herd was becoming pretty relaxed, chatting easily with the valley denizens or eating and relaxing amongst themselves. The worry about ghosts had apparently left most people's minds and they were at least keeping up the appearance of good spirits.

Among the many herd members walking about, Littlefoot glimpsed a longneck who didn't bother to keep up such appearances. She was young, around her late teens and three-fourths the size of the average longneck adult, yet no guardian was with her. She weaved a slow, single path through the herd, gaze moving about without looking at anything in particular. The longneck teen didn't appear depressed but her movements were pensive and there was a familiar sadness in her amber eyes.

Littlefoot felt a stirring of sympathy, a coolness in his chest. Whoever she was, she had no parents or guardians with her and she didn't act close with any of the herd members. She looked quite lonely. Littlefoot had been that lonely once, so lonely after experiencing the greatest loss of his young life. He had been reminded it would be the first of many through that talk last night. With that reality in mind, he wouldn't feel right if he didn't at least come up and tried to make someone's pain at least a little better.

Littlefoot moved away from his grandparents and maneuvered through the herd until he caught up and walked alongside her.

"Um, hello," he said. "I hope I'm not being intrusive but…are you alright?"

"Hmm," the longneck teen said. "Oh, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about what to do after such a long journey."

"Ah. Okay." Littlefoot chewed his lip. "Do you need any water? Food? Migrating can make you hungry. The treestars from that tree are quite delicious. You can eat them and no one will mind."

A slight smile was pulled from her face. "Don't worry, I've already had my fill on the way here. I'm pretty experienced with these long travels, so I know when and how much to eat."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay. You didn't know." She glanced at Littlefoot. "Why did you approach me anyway? It's kind of strange for a kid to go up to just any random stranger."

"I know, it's just…" Littlefoot looked away. "The way you were walking by yourself…you looked really sad. I thought if I came over, I might be able to help and keep you company."

The longneck teen stopped walking. She looked Littlefoot over curiously, not knowing what to make of him. She appeared to chew something over and at last met his gaze.

"Thank you for your concern," she nodded in greeting. "I'm Patty. Sorry if I was a bit rude. I keep to myself, so that doesn't make me the politest of company."

"That's okay." Littlefoot smiled. "Funny thing, the valley also has a Patty…uhh, a Pat. He keeps to himself but he's super nice. We keep trying to invite him to things but he keeps saying he doesn't want to intrude. There's nothing wrong with being a loner, so don't feel bad about it."

"You're correct." Patty said thoughtfully. "It does take all sorts to make a world. Why should I follow the crowd?" She gave him a considering look. "What's your name?"

"I'm Littlefoot. Nice to meet you Patty."

"Littlefoot." Patty repeated. She smiled wryly. "That name's going to be quite ironic if you grow to be big."

Littlefoot laughed. "I know. Some have suggested I change it when I grow up but I don't know…I'm quite attached to it. My mother gave me that name. Well, it kind of came from my dad but my mother chose it for me. It wouldn't feel right if I changed it to something else."

"I can understand." Patty agreed. "Patty's the name my mother gave me. I wouldn't want to change it either. Your mother must find it very sweet you want to keep the name she gave you."

"Uh, maybe she would." Littlefoot lowered his head. "I don't know. My mother passed away several cold times ago."

"Oh." Patty's eyes widened. "I'm sorry. It seems I brought up some painful memories."

"It's okay. I've gotten used to it. I've got my grandparents and made some great friends but I do miss her."

Patty appeared to have a hard time taking this in. She gazed up at the sky sadly.

"It seems this tragedy is common in the world," she said softly. "You see, my mother also passed away some time ago. She died defending me from a sharptooth."

Littlefoot's breath hitched. "I'm sorry. That must have been so hard," he paused. "My mother died saving me from a sharptooth too. One moment, she was encouraging me to go to the valley, the next, she didn't say anything again. I had to go on without her."

"Oh, that's heartbreaking." Patty said. "It's amazing that you actually made it here."

"I almost didn't. There were many times I nearly gave up. But I managed to make friends along the way. Without them, I'm not sure I would've been able to get here and we've been having fun together ever since. They're even here right now, with their parents. They're over there, there, and there. I'm glad to have them as friends."

Patty looked in the directions Littlefoot pointed, taking in each of them with great accuracy. She was quiet for a moment.

"Does your circle of friends include that sharptooth?" Patty said.

Littlefoot turned and saw that Verter moved, leaving Chomper in plain view for anyone to see him. Littlefoot saw some of the herd members stare at the sharptooth youth laughing at Verter's stories. A few talked questioningly with the valley denizens, who whispered and sighed while shrugging in helpless bemusement. Patty watched Chomper with a foreboding expression. Hastily, Littlefoot stepped in front of her feet.

"Chomper wasn't with me during that time but he is my good friend," he said. "Don't worry, he's nice. He only eats bugs and snapping shells. He wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone."

"I can't see why you would make friends with a sharptooth after what you experienced." Patty said. "Why would the valley allow him to live here anyway? That's just danger waiting to happen."

Littlefoot sighed. "We sort of accidentally hatched him. Long story, but I couldn't find it in my heart to abandon him. We gave him back to his parents but we met him again and he helped us out of a tough spot. When he and his friend Ruby needed help, we barely managed to get the valley to trust them. After they helped rescue some people, they were allowed to stay in the valley."

Patty was blinking. "I'm sorry, I'm still stuck on the part about you hatching and raising a sharptooth."

Littlefoot laughed. "Yeah, pretty amazing, huh. It was only for a day. Funny thing. When me and my friends had to come clean about our friendship with Chomper so they would listen to us about him and Ruby staying, my grandparents were pretty caught up on that. When I took care of Chomper, I asked them how to take care of babies. That weirded them out and they later told me they were shocked the truth was stranger than some of the worried explanations they were thinking up in their heads."

Patty stared and, when she caught on to what he was implying, chuckled. "They thought you saw or heard about…um, egg creation? Oh my, that is funny. It didn't sound like the truth was any more reassuring though."

"Nope. But I managed to sway them. They know Ruby and Chomper really well now and anyone who really gets to know those two can't be suspicious of them for long."

"I see. So this Chomper and the fast runner Ruby are really-"

"Nothing but good friends. They've rescued me and my friends so many times. I – I do worry about their future here but – all they want is a peaceful life."

The suspicion drained out of Patty and she gazed at the two thoughtfully. "Amazing. So I guess sharpteeth also have loves and want a peaceful life but with their diet…well, as long as they don't hurt anybody. This valley's more incredible than I've heard if it can accommodate so many different kinds. It's good this place allows you to spend time with your diverse company of friends."

"Yeah, it is." Littlefoot smiled softly.

"So, your grandparents take care of you?"

"That's right. That's them over there. With Mother gone, Grandpa and Grandma were the family I had here. They're doing the usual, making sure people are calm and helping in any way they can," he smiled fondly at them.

"They sound like they mean a lot to you."

Littlefoot nodded distractedly. "They're so nice. Even when I'm being a brat, they're patient with me. They have interesting things to say and can be very funny. Grandpa knows some very cool stories while Grandma gives me advice on how to stay safe. They do a good job looking after me. I wasn't always close to them but…I'm glad I got to know them better." Quietly, he added. "I just wish there was more time we can be together."

Patty considered him, surprise mixing with sympathy. "You're so strong. It isn't right you have to deal with such struggles but you seem to have been able to ride them out. You're so fortunate to have friends and family that look out for you."

"What about you?" Littlefoot asked.

Patty shook her head. "I have no one. My father might still be out there but Mom didn't talk about him much. My grandparents passed before I was born. We were always on the move, so I didn't have time to make friends. I only had Mom, and when she was gone…"

Patty trailed off. She was lost in thought until Littlefoot went over and gave her foot a brief nuzzle

"Sorry," he said, "I was only trying to make you feel better but I only loaded my problems onto you."

"That's okay." Patty said. "When you meet someone, you sometimes want to unload all your feelings – both the good and bad. Your kindness is enough to make me feel better."

Littlefoot welled up a smile. "Well, why don't we focus on the good things then. What do you enjoy doing? Do you play toss the seed? Swimmer and splasher? What games do you love?"

"I'm afraid I've grown too big to play such games." Patty said wryly. At his bemused reason, she added. "Not in a grownup kind of big. I mean my size. When you're with a herd, you have to mind what you do so you don't step on someone's foot…or someone small. You can't just move wildly about."

"Oh." Littlefoot blushed. "I should've known that. It's kind of sad you have to give some things up when you grow up."

Patty smiled. "I'm not grown up yet and I haven't given up on all things. When I'm alone and sure no one would get hurt, I sometimes play with my tail."

"You mean like whipping off treestars?" Littlefoot said eagerly.

"I've done more than that. When you're traveling and have all the time in the world, you learn there is more than one way to use a tail. For example, I can do this…"

She started swinging her tail in slow, gradually faster loops. Once she got the desired momentum, the tail flicked downward and she lifted her rear feet. The tail sailed right under them. The feet fell back down but as soon as the swinging tail returned, they jumped once more. Patty kept up the rhythm, the tail speeding up but her rear feet never making contact or staggering. Littlefoot watched, fascinated. A few other herd members stopped what they were doing to do the same, bemused or amused. When at last Patty slowed her tail to a stop and stood on all fours, she barely looked winded and there was more animation in her eyes.

"Whew, it's been a while since I've done that," she said.

"That was amazing!" Littlefoot exclaimed. "Can you teach me that trick?"

"If you're willing to put up with your tail hitting your feet, stomach, and back." Patty said.

"Well, ah…" That gave Littlefoot pause. "I've dealt with worse. Besides, it sounds like fun."

"I might teach you." Patty said. "It would be amusing way to pass the time. It beats the usual routine of walking around, eating, and attracting strange looks with my weird games…"

"Littlefoot? Littlefoot, get back here!"

Littlefoot jumped and walked back to his grandparents, Patty not far behind him. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck had finished speaking with the spikethumb leader, who stood aside and was now visually sweeping the area as though to count out her herd members. His grandparents were looking at him with a mix of relief and reproach.

"There you are." Grandpa Longneck continued. "We got worried when we couldn't see you."

"Don't bother our guests." Grandma Longneck said. "They've had a long journey and need their rest."

"Sorry." Littlefoot hung his head. "But I saw one of them had a lot on her mind and wanted to make sure she was alright."

"Don't be hard on him." Patty said. "He was only trying to help. Talking to him did improve my mood. He's very kind. You must be proud to have such a grandson."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck stared at her, slightly surprised, before allowing themselves to smile.

"Why, yes." Grandpa Longneck said. "He fills us with as much worry as pride, but we wouldn't trade him for anything else. He's such a good helper."

"Even if his timing mightn't always be perfect." Grandma Longneck said. "Thank you for putting up with our grandson."

"It's no problem." Patty replied, smiling. "In fact, if you have no objections, I'm willing to put up with him a lot more in my stay here. I never had a sibling before and kids can be fun to play with."

"Now, don't entangle yourself in babysitting duties so soon after a long journey." Grandpa Longneck said. "Settle down. Think it over. We have been your age once, and it wasn't always fun to keep children company."

"If you're still willing though… we'd be more than happy that you'd keep our grandson company," Grandma Longneck added, noticing Littlefoot brighten. "These last few days have been tough on him and his friends. If you're really willing go out of your way to brighten their day, it would be appreciated."

"Thank you." Patty said.

"Everyone, can I have your attention?" The spikethumb leader was saying loudly. "These two have informed us of the usual sleeping locations for visiting herds in the valley. Follow me so I can show you where they are and then we can debate our next course of action. I don't want any stragglers. All must be present. When night falls, I want everyone at the usual sleeping spots, understand?"

There were nods and grumbles, but the herd members started following the spikethumb leader as she led them onward. Patty sighed and turned to Littlefoot and his grandparents.

"Looks like I can't stay long. I'll see if I can meet with you tomorrow. Will that be fair?"

"Okay." Littlefoot said. "Have a good day, Patty."

Verter, meanwhile, had turned to the spikethumb's leader's words and sighed dramatically.

"Being part of a herd does have its downsides," he said. "Still, I'm sure things'll settle down. Topps old pal, I'll have fun with you and your lovely family later."

Mr. Threehorn nodded and smirked. "Don't take too long, Verter. We still have a lot of catching up to do."

"I look forward to it. Bye, kids!" Verter added, nodding cheerily to Cera, Tricia, Chomper, and Ruby.

He walked away and, in his departure, brushed passed Patty.

"With how sleeping arrangements are even in some of these bigger places, I wouldn't be surprised if we're packed next to each other." Verter chuckled.

To Littlefoot's surprise, Patty turned away. "If that happens, I'll make sure I'm not packed next to you."

Verter snorted, but the pair only separated as they walked in the same direction, disappearing behind a distant clump of trees. Littlefoot blinked and looked up at his grandparents.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Maybe their personalities rub each other the wrong way." Grandma Longneck said. "Remember, Littlefoot. People can be good or share the same goal, and not always see eye to eye. It's pretty normal in a community."

Littlefoot couldn't help but shrug in agreement. He had seen more than enough examples of those dynamics in the valley to believe the claim. Still, a stirring of unease ran through him. What could Patty find so offensive about Verter?

"The meeting's over? Thank goodness. I was about ready to fall asleep on my feet."

Mr. Clubtail walked over bleary-eyed, his grumpiness veiled by relief. Not far behind, the gang and their families gathered closer

"We're very sorry for awakening you, Mr. Clubtail." Grandpa Longneck said. "You did well here. Have a good rest."

"Thanks." Mr. Clubtail said. "Climbing those Great Wall paths is going to be rough at night, so I'll need the rest."

"What's so special that you need to be on the Great Wall tonight?" Cera asked.

Mr. Clubtail averted his eyes. "Well, there's going to be a great sight. It only happens once a cold time, so I want to make sure I'll be awake to see it."

"What is that great sight?" Ducky said curiously.

"It's, uh…it's kind of embarrassing to say."

"Is it something salacious?" Grandma Longneck said warily.

"No, nothing like that. It's just…you'll laugh."

"Hey, me and my friends get up to all sorts of weird things." Littlefoot said. "Compared to us, it mustn't be that bad."

"We'll try not to laugh." Ruby said. "I can't guarantee that for everyone, but…"

Littlefoot and the others nodded seriously, doing their best to compose their faces so they wouldn't be inclined to snicker. After a moment, Mr. Clubtail began to relax.

"You're right. The valley's full of weirdos. I guess even I can't escape it," he said wryly. "Well, the truth is, at a certain time tonight, the night circle is going to turn orange. It's quite beautiful to look at, but that's not the only reason I'll be up to see it. The truth is…it reminds me of sweet bubbles."

A wind blew by and the distant trees rustled. The reaction he got wasn't laughter but some blinking and confusion.

"Sweet bubbles?" Cera said incredulously. "What does the night circle have to do with sweet bubbles?"

"As I said, it'll be orangey tonight." Mr. Clubtail replied. "When I look at the orange night circle, it makes me crave orange sweet bubbles. They're sour but quite good and if you're put in the right mood, they're very delicious. Don't look at me that way. I'm sure some of you do the same thing."

"Looking at something else to remind you of food?" Petrie said. "Me don't get it."

"I guess that's a thing some people do." Chomper said reluctantly.

Mr. Clubtail sighed. "I knew you kids wouldn't understand."

"Hey, I kind of do that."

Mr. Clubtail looked at Ruby, stunned. "You do?"

"Sure." Ruby said encouragingly. "When I look at purple flowers sometimes, I do get a craving for purple sweet bubbles. When the night circle turns blue, I think about blue sweet bubbles. It's kind of fun to find inspiration for eating your favorite foods in all kinds of places."

Spike nodded rapidly and made understanding "uh-huh" sounds. Ducky drew up a smile.

"Even if some of us do not understand, it does seem to makes you happy," she said.

"To each their own." Grandpa Longneck murmured, smiling. "We all have our enjoyments we're guilty of admitting aloud."

Mr. Threehorn shrugged. "It's silly, but harmless enough."

"Thanks, you guys." Mr. Clubtail said, relieved. "Can you…keep it a secret? I do want to limit the number of people who'll make fun of me for this."

"Hey, we aren't that bad, right?" Cera said.

"Yeah, we only do good-natured ribbing." Mr. Threehorn said. "You don't need to take it so seriously."

Mr. Clubtail snorted. "You two sometimes have a hard time knowing when you're ribbing stops being good-natured. I'd rather not have to deal with any more people with such a lack of inhibitions."

Mr. Threehorn and Cera grumbled to themselves. Tria stepped forward smoothly.

"Whatever the matter, we'll respect your wishes," she said pleasantly.

"Yeah." Littlefoot said encouragingly. "You go out and have fun."

"Just be sure not to gorge too much." Cera said.

"Yeah, remember to leave some sweet bubbles for the rest of us." Mr. Threehorn said.

Irritation flickered in Mr. Clubtail's eyes, but he merely made a face at Cera and Mr. Threehorn, causing chuckles from the others. He turned determinedly from the pair.

"Thank you. I do appreciate the support of _some_." Mr. Clubtail smiled widely before a yawn broke across his face. "And speaking of that, I'm going to need the support of some extra sleep for tonight. Don't expect me to get up early tomorrow. I'm going to need the rest."

"We'll give you the space." Grandpa Longneck said. "Have a nice nap."

Nodding and appearing more refreshed, Mr. Clubtail walked off. Littlefoot, his friends, and their parents watched his departure with fondness or amusement. Cera watched with annoyance.

"Oh, he is going to gorge himself tonight," she muttered. "Oh well, at least I won't have to be there for his disgusting burps."

"At least there's a plus side for everyone." Littlefoot said sheepishly.

With the herd members leaving, most of the other valley denizens had also dispersed, to go back to what they were doing or to rest and recover. That left mostly the gang and their families. Littlefoot and the others eyed each other speculatively before they turned to their parents.

"Grandpa, Grandma," Littlefoot said, "is it okay if I play with my friends now?"

"We haven't gotten ourselves in danger yet." Cera said brightly.

"Yeah, the most that happened was me getting spooked." Chomper said.

"And some of us making new friends." Ruby said.

"It pretty lonely without my friends." Petrie said. "Can we go? Can we?"

"Pretty please?" Ducky said. "Please, please. Please."

Spike bayed to each of their parents, making his eyes as wide and pleading as his sister's. Their parents stared uncertainly at the gang before glancing at each other.

"I don't know." Mr. Threehorn said. "You kids still need supervision."

"We can't keep track of you together all day." Mama Swimmer said. "We have responsibilities to attend to."

"Oh, that's true. Most of you have siblings we need to watch over." Mama Flyer said.

There was a pensive silence as they considered this dilemma. Petrie scratched his chin nervously.

"Maybe…we all stay with Littlefoot's grandparents," he suggested. "Littlefoot's brother not in valley and herd business done now. So we won't bother them much."

"That is right." Ducky said. "You can trust Littlefoot's grandparents. They are very good watchers, they are."

"We won't go far." Chomper said. "We'll stay close to them while we play. Cross our hearts."

"They can escort our friends back to you parents when it's time for bed." Ruby said. "And for me and Chomper, they can escort us back to our cave. It sounds like a perfect arrangement, right?"

Grandpa Longneck smiled wryly. "And you suppose just because we only have Littlefoot, we have all the time in the world."

"You do remember our ghost duties, right?" Grandma Longneck asked.

Ruby almost blushed. She and the others awkwardly averted their gaze.

"Well…" Cera said. "Are there any ghosts you need to deal with now?"

Grandma Longneck chuckled. "Fortunately for you, today there is a bit truth to us having some free time. We'll be going around to make sure the herd is settling in well but otherwise nothing too taxing or attention-consuming."

"We'll be more than happy to watch you children for the day." Grandpa Longneck said. "Having an opportunity to have you all over is a treat – that is, if it's okay with your parents. Rest assured, we'll do our best to look after them and if a ghost issue does come up, we'll escort your children back – under that scenario, Littlefoot, Chomper, and Ruby might have to stay with one of you as well until we deal with our duty."

Mama Flyer only hesitated a moment before smiling warmly. "Of course. I know you'll make sure Petrie and the kids don't get up to any mischief. If ghosts or anything else happens, I'd be more than willing to look after Littlefoot, Chomper, and Ruby."

"Just make sure not to look for any adventure, Petrie." One of Petrie's sisters teased, causing good-natured laughter from the other flyer children.

"Um…" Mama Swimmer looked between Ducky and Spike, her hand to her lips uncertainly. Looking to her other children, she sighed. "Okay. At least I know they'll be well watched. But Ducky, Spike, behave. I don't want to hear of you doing anything that gives Grandpa and Grandma Longneck more work. And if you get sent back, cooperate, understand?"

Ducky and Spike nodded rapidly, instantly contriving to look angelic. Since Ruby and Chomper were guardian-less, they merely walked over to stand next to Littlefoot. Petrie wasn't far behind, a bit embarrassed at the teasing but smiling all the same. Ducky and Spike initially matched Petrie's speed, but slowed upon the neutral or uncertain gazes their brothers and sisters gave them. At length, they waved Ducky and Spike off. Ducky and Spike crossed the remaining distance to Littlefoot, Petrie, Chomper, and Ruby.

Now everyone watched Mr. Threehorn and Tria, who both seemed to have the most misgivings. Mr. Threehorn in particular stared at Cera as though fearing she would evaporate. However, upon seeing Littlefoot and the others in the comforting shadows of Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, Mr. Threehorn sighed.

"You'd better watch my Cera very closely," he warned. "If any harm comes to her…"

Grandpa Longneck nodded. "We know. We would say the same if you had to look after Littlefoot."

Mr. Threehorn nodded, stepping aside so Cera could go. She began to walk forward when she felt Tricia press against her foreleg, looking up sadly and making a pleading warble. Cera was confused until she remembered the trauma of two days back.

"Don't worry Tricia, I'm not going away. I'm just hanging out with my friends." Cera said. "I'll be back tonight. Count on it."

Tricia made a questioning sound, like a version of "You're sure?" and Cera gave a comforting nuzzle. Her spirits picked up, she gave a cheerful wave as Cera walked off to join her friends. Tria still appeared worried.

"Cera, don't be reckless," she said. "Keep your promise to Tricia about being back tonight."

"We're not going on some mission." Cera complained. "We're just going to play. You don't need to get bent out of shape over it."

She didn't get a response. With final waves and farewells, Mr. Threehorn, Tria, Mama Swimmer, and Mama Flyer departed with their other children in tow. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck turned to smile at Littlefoot and the others.

"Well, let's get going." Grandpa Longneck said. "Stay close, kids. We don't want to disappoint your folks by losing you immediately, now do we?"

Chuckling, the gang started walking in the wake of Littlefoot's grandparents, at ease now they were in each other's presence. Though difficult, the meeting with the herd had put some of them in a good mood. Chomper was humming, a cheerful tune that encouraged a few to join in. Normally, being able to hang out with Grandpa and Grandma Longneck made them happy. Their easygoing and gentle demeanors made them comfortable company. But Cera was notably grumpy.

"Me, be reckless," she said. "Why do they think we would be that way now?"

"Your dad and Tria are only worried about you." Littlefoot said. "Yesterday was a close call."

"It was, it was." Ducky said. "We were so scared me and Spike went to bed without eating anything."

"Really?" Petrie said. "That amazing for Spike."

Spike giggled bashfully, almost as amazed as the others. Chomper lowered his eyes.

"Me and Ruby slept next to each other," he admitted. "We…wanted to be close in case there were bad sleep stories."

"There were bad sleep stories." Ruby said. "They were better to deal with together…but they wasn't fun to deal with at all."

"Though things have been less fun for some of us than others." Cera said.

Everyone gazed at Littlefoot, who hesitated but didn't turn away. Certainty started to settle into him. After a long day, where Littlefoot was able to brighten the mood of someone he shared a common tragedy with, he now felt ready in more ways than one to talk with his friends about what he was worried about.

"Are you feeling alright, Littlefoot?" Ducky said.

"I'm okay." Littlefoot answered. "Sorry for falling apart last night. It wasn't a pretty sight."

"Hey, yesterday super scary." Petrie said. "Me surprised more of us not fall apart, especially me."

"My parents did that more than I did." Cera admitted. "I've never seen Dad so blank and nervous, or Tria so down. They haven't been talking much since we came back and had me and Tricia pressed between them when we slept."

"I don't blame them." Littlefoot said. "I don't blame any of our parents. Yesterday was…difficult. It brought out a lot of issues that I didn't want to think about but now…"

"That offer to talk is still open." Chomper said gently.

"I'm ready. If this becomes too uncomfortable, say something. This might be a bit heavy…"

Gradually, Littlefoot laid out his fears about mortality and his grandparents, and how they all started with a random sleep story four days ago (Had it only been four? Everything that happened since made it feel so much longer). His friends listened attentively, some gaining looks of understanding or sympathy. They did little more than nod and make encouraging noises, so Littlefoot was wary of their full reactions. By the time he finished by detailing what he and his grandparents talked about last night, he waited for someone to speak up.

"Huh." Ruby said. "That explains why you've been more concerned about us than you already are."

"I hope I haven't been too insufferable these last few days." Littlefoot said.

"Hey, it is okay." Ducky said. "Worrying about how long you will be with your grandparents is normal, it is, it is."

"We don't blame you for wanting to protect them." Chomper said.

Littlefoot allowed a smile. "Thanks, guys. I just…it makes me really sad. I love Grandma and Grandpa. I don't want them to leave anytime soon. You guys should count yourselves lucky. At least your parents will still be around when you're grownups."

"Maybe." Cera said. "Dad is always grumbling about how he's too old for this or that and Tria must be his age. I think they're middle-aged, so they'll still be around but maybe...not as long." She shook her head as though dismissing a thought.

Ruby nodded sadly. "My parents are a bit older than Mr. Threehorn and Tria. By the time me and my brother and sister are grownups, they will be old grownups. Not to mention the Mysterious Beyond is very tough and it can be hard to stay tough in old age. And if Redclaw doesn't go away anytime soon…"

"It's tough for my parents too." Chomper said. "I mean, they aren't old but Red Claw really hurt them. With how many wounds they got, they wouldn't have been able to do anything but scavenge for a while. And if someone picked a fight with them…" he fidgeted. "I – Ruby's dad said they've gotten a lot better when we visited her family. I hope their injuries are gone now. Being a sharptooth is tough enough, they shouldn't suffer for the injuries they got because of me…"

Chomper and several others appeared pensive for a moment before he looked up and started guiltily.

"Sorry Littlefoot," he said. "Uh, we didn't mean to make this all about us."

Littlefoot shook his head. "It's okay. I guess it's only natural me worrying about my folks will make you worry about yours. That's all the more reason we should do what we can for them while they're still around."

"Yeah, me agree." Petrie said. "But Littlefoot, when that happen – and me hope that not for very long time – you can stay with my family. Well, maybe on side of nest, since me don't want you to roll over in sleep and fall off cliff. But there not enough room, so maybe sleep in back of nest. But that might crowd brothers and sisters. Um…"

Littlefoot chuckled. "That's okay. I appreciate the thought. Whatever happens, I'll be sure to visit often."

"And we will visit you too." Ducky said. "We can even have sleepovers. That would be fun, oh it would be, it would."

"Aren't sleepovers a childish thing?" Cera asked.

"The great thing about being a grownup is being in charge of when you want to be mature and when you want to be childish." Ruby said. "Being in charge of how you'll hang out with your friends is also a benefit."

Cera eyed her dryly but only said. "Well, I guess it would be nice to have a place to escape to when my parents are being insufferable."

There were laughs. Littlefoot shook his head fondly, unable to stop his giggles and feeling much lighter in spirit.

"Well, I'm glad you all plan to be there for me but let's not get too ahead of ourselves," he smiled warmly. "Thanks. For listening. Letting you guys know about my worries is a lot off my chest."

"Of course." Petrie said. "We talk about our worries all time. Now it your turn."

"Who knows what might have happened if you held it in any longer." Cera said. "It is nice to know."

"Not to mention it reminded some of us of what is important." Ducky said.

"Uh-huh." Spike nodded, nuzzling Ducky who hugged him in return.

Littlefoot's heart melted at the sight. Before he could say anything, Cera bumped into him, eyes sharp and mischievous.

"Hey, now that you got those worries off your chest, let's go and have some fun," she said. "How does tag sound? I bet I can catch you guys faster than you blink."

Littlefoot slowly smirked. "Why, Cera. Are you volunteering to play the role of sharptooth? I thought you didn't like that."

"Oh, be quiet. After getting chased all over the place these past few days, being the chaser would be great for a change. Any objections?"

"Not really, it is just…" Ducky giggled. "Because we have been chased so much, we are prepared. You will not be able to catch us so easily, you will not, you will not."

"Being a sharptooth, I do know how to run from them." Chomper said.

"And being a flyer, me can just fly until you grow bored." Petrie said.

"Is that what you think?" Cera said.

Cera eyed him. Suddenly she pounced at Petrie, who squeaked and flew out of the way. He flew above her just out of reach and blew a defiant raspberry. Cera was unoffended.

"You can't stay up there forever," she said.

"Yeah, well me can try!" Petrie retorted.

"Flying might have advantages but being a fast runner also has advantages." Ruby said. "Can you outrun me?"

"Everyone feels like making big boasts today." Cera said. "Who knows? Let's test them."

Cera crouched as they walked, head low as she eyed her friends speculatively. The others followed her example, Littlefoot with his tongue stuck out as he made sure to keep pace with her. Everyone kept their distance. Then Spike started crawling closer, barely able to stifle his giggles, and a riding Ducky cried out in alarm. Cera took the bait and pounced but Spike jumped out of the way just in time.

Laughing, they all began running, ducking and dodging in and around foliage, Cera almost always reaching but not quite tagging any of her friends. Littlefoot could see his grandparents watching them out of the corner of their eyes with content smiles. Littlefoot and the others were smiling as well. Cera eventually tagged one of them, leading to the role of tagger switching around, but they were glad that was their biggest worry. As the sun began to sink on the horizon, Littlefoot and the others were glad to have an ordinary day of play.

* * *

Mr. Threehorn gazed with some relief at his daughters. As promised, Cera had returned by nightfall and was sleeping next to Tricia, contented smiles on their faces. Tria lay beside them, no longer holding the same anxiety of the previous night. Mr. Threehorn couldn't resist a smile. Today had done them some good. His family were as they should be, happy – and safe.

Safe in spite of his own blunders.

Mr. Threehorn shoved the thought aside and readjusted his position, but sleep continued to evade him. He had watched his family wink out one by one only for him to remain awake. Now the night circle had risen wide and full, a bright orange-yellow, and it didn't look like he was going to get rest anytime soon. It looked like Mr. Clubtail wouldn't be the only one awake tonight. Stifling his grumbles, Mr. Threehorn closed his eyes and put his head down, attempting to see if staring at the inside of his eyelids would eventually do the trick.

"Topps. Psst, Topps!"

Mr. Threehorn jerked up and looked around alertly. He found a shape had appeared in front of the trees ahead. He tensed, wondering how it slipped past his notice. His wariness gave way to relief though when the shape stepped forward and revealed itself to be Verter, beckoning with a head wave.

"Come over here," he said. "Let's talk."

Mouthing in incomprehension, Mr. Threehorn got to his feet and walked over to Verter, standing in the shadows of the trees.

"Verter, what are you doing here?" Mr. Threehorn asked. "Didn't – I thought that spikethumb said the herd should stick together?"

Verter smiled slyly. "Well, that wasn't going to stop me from spending some time with my old pal. Besides, is anyone really going to know that one of their number took a stroll come morning?"

Mr. Threehorn tried to give his best stern look but Verter's devil-may-care grin was such a fond echo of so many nights of youthful mischief that he couldn't really keep it up. Mr. Threehorn looked away.

"Just don't let them catch you," he muttered. "I might have to say something then."

"Don't worry, I've been out in the wild, I'm good at not being noticed." Verter reassured. "You don't sound like you're up to as much mischief as you used to be."

"I'm a father now – childish shenanigans aren't so fun when you're dealing with them on the parent side of things. Besides, the world is tough. That doesn't leave much time for fun."

"Why, you make being a grownup sound so boring. It can't be that bad, right?"

"Oh, there are some good points." Mr. Threehorn admitted. "The company here in the valley can be weird but reliable in a pinch. There are my daughters. As much as they can frustrate me, they always find a way to make me smile. There's Tria – she makes sure things don't get boring in my life. Those happy moments are the reason I try to protect them so much." A quiet moment. "I just wish I've been doing a good job of it."

Verter tilted his head, puzzled. "Topps, that sounds weirdly…vulnerable. What's up with you?"

"The past several days have been…very trying." Mr. Threehorn said. "They've brought to the forefront several things I don't like. I haven't been telling you everything I went through."

Verter put himself in a listening position. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I shouldn't be unloading my problems on you. I should be able to handle them on my own."

"Friends are there to hear each other's problems. I'm sure Cera does that with her friends all the time and doesn't that leave her in a happier place?"

Mr. Threehorn hesitated, but he couldn't dispute that fact. "Well, the truth is…Tria isn't my first mate. I had more daughter before Tricia came around."

Verter widened an eye quizzically but Mr. Threehorn continued.

"I had another mate. She was tough, and smart. We had sparks. It got so intense we kind of had a…daughter," he blushed. "We were young parents, so we fumbled a bit. Fortunately, she didn't hold it against us and went on to have twins. Being a grandfather this early is a privilege. Erm, anyway, after we became older and more experienced, we had another batch: Cera, Holly, Rita, and Duane. They were rough, tumbling, and got up to trouble. They were our light and stars. Then…" he sighed. "The Great Earthshake happened. Cera got separated from us.

"We were trying to find a way to the other side. We searched everywhere. We tried to be careful but the earth was delicate after the earthshake and at one of the cliffs…you could guess what happened to them. When Cera came back to the valley…I was the only one waiting for her. For so long, it was just the two of us."

"I see." Verter stared. "You've been through some tougher crud then I thought."

Mr. Threehorn nodded distractedly. "That's why I've been so protective of Cera, and Tria and Tricia. I did all I could to make the best out of the bad situations that come up and I've been trying to put the past behind me but then…you heard about those ghosts, Verter. She and my little girls came back."

"Oh. Now that's some really tough crud."

"It was nice to be with them one more time, to have a proper goodbye, but I had to face again that I couldn't save them. I was as helpless to prevent them from disappearing as I was to prevent their deaths. Like before, I felt I was only there to watch. So when that sharptooth ghost attacked yesterday, going after Cera and her friends, I thought, at least I can help them. Here was something I can do."

"I can surmise from your expression it didn't go well." Verter said.

Mr. Threehorn laughed hollowly. "The others warned me, as they always warn me, but I didn't listen. I started taunting the sharptooth, attempting to make him feel as small as I felt the day before. Here was someone who deserved no sympathy that I can vent my feelings to until he turned tail and disappeared. Instead…I only made him angry enough that he could touch and injure us. Our children were the ones who had to put him down in the end. It was because of my selfishness that Cera and her friends nearly died yesterday."

"Oh, I'm sure it isn't that bad." Verter said. "Even a parent makes a big mistake once in a while. Just be glad nothing happened."

"This wasn't the first time…there was that moment when there was fire in the valley and I nearly led Cera into being burned alive…I almost broke up the herd when the swarming leaf gobblers drove us out of the valley and Cera and her friends left to keep us together…I led a crusade against some tiny longnecks over a misunderstanding and nearly got them buried alive, which released fast biters into the valley that nearly got Cera and her friends…No matter what I do, I keep screwing up and putting my daughter in danger. She and her friends have done a much better job at solving these problems, and they're kids! They shouldn't have to. I'm proud of what she's done but I fear how long her luck will last before…before…"

Mr. Threehorn's vision blurred slightly but he shook himself, breaths wet and barely controlled. Now he knew how Littlefoot felt yesterday, how all the fear bottled up inside grows until it pushes you to the breaking point. But that longneck boy could let it all out, he needed to cry, and he had his grandparents to rely on during that vulnerable moment. Mr. Threehorn was a grownup, the protector of the family. He should know how to deal with these emotions better than this. He didn't have time to breakdown and he couldn't burden his family like this. Mr. Threehorn shoved those feelings down but they kept rising back up and he shut his eyes to attempt to control them.

Then he felt a bump on his head. Verter pulled back and gently pressing the side of his frill against Mr. Threehorn's again, again, attempting to reassure him with brief, strong moments of contact. Mr. Threehorn didn't expect it, but it turned out to be just what he needed to draw in enough breath and compose himself.

"I shouldn't have done that." Mr. Threehorn said. "It was stupid. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"There, there." Verter said sympathetically. "Even if you prepare for everything, life's surprises still sometimes get to you."

"Right." Mr. Threehorn sniffled and welled up a tired smile. "Thanks, Verter. I really needed that. It's just…I fear what'll happen to Cera and her friends. They always keep getting into dangerous trouble and if they continue to tangle themselves in this ghost business…"

"If they've gotten into danger so many times, surely you and the other parents must be experienced enough to recognize the signs, and stop them."

"We try. But it's hard to be on the alert all the time and they always think of clever ways to slip away while we're distracted."

"Hmm…" Verter frowned, appearing to find this strange. "Well, Cera and her friends do sound like a determined bunch, I'll give them that. It sounds like they aren't going to stop their adventurous ways anytime soon, so we might as well hedge our bets."

"Hedge what bets?" Mr. Threehorn said, confused. "Wait, you mean…"

"That training offer is still open." Verter said. "Those kids will need some strong support out there and if no grownups are around, it might as well be Cera and Chomper. You already said Cera broke some big rocks in her recent adventures. Why not make sure she can do that on a more reliable basis? We've known some older kids who could push down boulders without breaking a sweat. It would be good for Cera to have that sort of strength. Chomper, too. Why not make sure he builds up all the strength and endurance a sharptooth possesses?"

"I'm not sure it's a wise idea to make Chomper more dangerous than he already is." Mr. Threehorn said.

"Why, you sound like you don't very much trust the boy." Verter said.

"It's complicated." Mr. Threehorn looked away. "If there's one thing you can say about him, it's hard to think he's up to anything dangerous. I'll admit I even kind of like him. It's his sharptooth side I'm distrustful of. Right now, he's content with eating bugs but if he gains the confidence that comes with that added strength you talk about, I fear what'll happen when bugs won't be enough for him."

"Ah, yes." Verter nodded wisely. "I believe training might still be the solution then. We can have Chomper trained to be strong but I can discipline him to use that strength wisely. You and Tria must be experienced with disciplining your daughters. Doing the same with Chomper will be no different. He only needs a strong, guiding paw."

"That might be useful." Mr. Threehorn said slowly. "If you can make Chomper a safer friend to be around…"

"It will benefit everyone. I'm sure you can persuade Tria to see the good in this. Cera and Chomper will surely jump at the opportunity to be stronger. I'll train them firmly but fairly for their age. They need this in our dangerous world. Come on, Topps. You know I'm right."

Mr. Threehorn hesitated. The offer was very tempting. The world was a dangerous place. Mr. Threehorn knew this, thought he could handle it, but the endless crises were wearing him down. No matter what he and the other parents did, Cera and her friends still wound up getting involved in the latest life-threatening escapade. If their wanderlust couldn't be stymied, at least they should be equipped with the skillset needed to survive, right? Not to mention Cera and Chomper did express genuine interest in Verter's proposal. No matter the difficulties, it would be worth it if Cera and her friends had a higher chance of coming back home.

Just as he began to feel encouraged, Mr. Threehorn remembered the true extent of the difficulties involved in that training. He sighed.

"No." Mr. Threehorn said. "I'm sorry, Verter. I really am. But Tria's right. The Threehorn Ascension training is too much for kids like Cera and Chomper. I don't want Cera to carry any lasting injuries and if something happens to Chomper, we would have to answer to his sharptooth parents. It's just not going to work out."

"But Topps, they'll be more vulnerable if we don't -" Verter pleaded.

"I'll raise the possibility with Tria again when there's time." Mr. Threehorn interrupted. "I'll bring up your points but…don't get your hopes up. We'll be keeping an eye on the kids in the meantime. No ghosts appeared today, so maybe that means things are settling down."

"I see." Verter said, disappointed. "Well, you're the father here. I should…defer to you."

"I'm really sorry. Maybe something else can be worked out. But don't think you're unwelcome. We loved how you distracted the kids from the ghost troubles and we wouldn't mind if you come along again. We sure can use a few laughs." Mr. Threehorn covered up a yawn. "Anyway, I have to sleep. It's getting late. Go back to your herd before your absence is noticed. If nothing else horrible happens tomorrow, we can meet up. I can't wait for us to catch up. Goodnight, Verter."

"Yes." Verter welled up a smile, all disappoint gone. "Have a nice rest, old pal. See you in the morning."

Mr. Threehorn turned and went over to settle back with his family. Within a minute of closing his eyes, he was asleep. Verter slowly walked back to the herd. He had dropped his smile.

*Nothing else horrible, huh?* he thought. *Well…who knows what'll happen tomorrow.*

* * *

"Ah, that is a rather scrumptious kind of orange."

Mr. Clubtail resisted the urge to smack his lips as he gazed up at the night circle. It was a clear, sky puffy-less night and the stars were out in bright bloom among the expanse of blue-black. The night circle hung round and wide, almost seeming to loom over the valley, smudged with mysterious dark spots and light pockmark holes. The bright orange filled every detail of it, as though it was water died by the sweet nectar of a tree sweet. It was an amazing sight and Mr. Clubtail wondered why more people didn't stay up to see it.

*I can't be the only one awake tonight. How can people ignore this?* he thought. *Oh well, more for me.*

He continued walking, staying clear of the drop to his right. Far behind him, he heard the faint crackle of pebbles parting from the ledge and tacking down to the grass below. From his vantage point, the lower part of the moon was obscured by the mountain tips and, though it wasn't much, he wanted to see the whole of it in all its unobstructed majesty. He was moving on one of the ledge paths that protruded from the Great Wall, having chosen the widest that were closer to the mountain tops than the forests below.

Currently, he had a good view of much of the valley, with the night circle and stars providing enough light to see the trees and the pinprick forms of resting dinosaurs below. Up high here, Mr. Clubtail felt like he was the only one awake tonight, with just himself and the night circle to keep each other company. It was a wonderful feeling and he wasn't eager to leave anytime soon.

Gradually, he moved from one end of the valley to the other, legs slightly sore from the distance he had to cover. Despite what the view from up here might tell someone, the valley was a big place and it would take a lot of luck to get to most of its locations within a single day. Mr. Clubtail didn't look forward to the long walk back but assured himself that on the bright side, some sweet bubbles would be waiting for him and he wouldn't be tossing and turning as much when he finally fell asleep. He paused once he reached the other side, where he at last had a clear view of the moon.

He stared up appreciatively, drinking in every detail. Already, the orange was reminding his tongue of previous tastes, the burst of sour that came when the surface was penetrated, the dabble texture of the fleshy fruit as it got chewed up. Mr. Clubtail was looking forward to getting some orange sweet bubbles when he was done. Being prepped to crave a favored food only made that food all the more delicious when the time came to eat it.

Mr. Clubtail sighed contently, glad the only sounds around were the distant buzzes and chirps of nocturnal insects and the woosh of wind blowing through the leaves. With the usual valley hullabaloo quiet for the night, his mind could now focus on the beauty hovering in the sky and the sour delicacies that awaited him when he returned.

*I wonder if Ruby or any of those kids ever had a taste of orange sweet bubbles.* Mr. Clubtail mused. *It was nice she didn't make a big deal over my silly obsession. Maybe I can talk to her about sweet bubbles and other greens.*

His mind buzzed agreeably. Mr. Clubtail always preferred the simple life, so having someone pleasant to occasionally swap food stories and suggestions with sounded grand. He would give neighborly tips to Ruby about what to try next, to brighten her day, and if she had recommendations, well, he wasn't going to turn them down. He hadn't been everywhere in the valley. Her inquisitive nature might lead her to foods he never noticed or couldn't reach. It would benefit everyone. He took a few steps forward as he looked at the night circle, smiling at the possibilities.

Then his perception…changed. He noticed the cave entrance.

Mr. Clubtail blinked and lowered his gaze to several yards ahead. The ledge path turned and led to a cave opening in a small mountain peak with four roughly ovular openings along his eye level. He was bemused. He hadn't noticed this unique formation before. Never, until now. One second, his eyes slid over it like it was another part of the scenery. The next, the details became clear as though he dunked his head in water and could see for the first time. Mr. Clubtail thought he would have remembered a place like this and that he missed it on so many of his trips was strange.

But what was truly strange was the warm glow coming from the cave.

Mr. Clubtail stared. The crackle of rocks behind him was the only sound in the air. Caves normally didn't glow, he thought. Usually, there was molten rock or some plant matter that could be set alight. Yet there wasn't the orange of lava or the unsteady flicker of fire. Where was the light coming from? Slowly, he began to approach, each step filled with increasing unease.

He stopped at the entrance. He found himself looking into a great cavern, wide and dome-shaped, with grooves straggling up the walls to the center of the ceiling. The ground was smooth and level, without a crack or protrusion in sight. Mr. Clubtail was impressed. There was more than enough room for most of the meeting circle regulars to conduct an assembly here. To his right, the four openings gave a grand, expansive view of most of the valley. If one wanted to get their bearings on where a person or place was, it would be here.

But no matter where Mr. Clubtail looked, he couldn't find the light's source. There was no fire or molten rock. There were no crystals or bioluminescent plants. There wasn't even a crack in the ground that issued earthly light, like that place Grandpa Longneck occasionally used to entertain the kids with stories. The light was simply there, warm and present, but terminating outside the cavern's boundaries. Mr. Clubtail wavered, unnerved. Caves shouldn't be glowing for no reason. Was this somehow connected to the past few days' supernatural events?

Then he noticed the stones. There were eleven of them, unnaturally flat and smooth, aligned in a pattern on the ground. On the outer edges were three rectangular stones, spaced in an odd T-formation, large enough for adult dinosaurs of varying species to stand on. Further in were seven much smaller heptagonal stones that only youths could fit on. At the center, there was a polished circular stone. There was nothing special or interesting about its appearance. It was quite ordinary. Mr. Clubtail's eyes kept getting drawn to the center stone like a magnet. In spite of himself, he found it hard to look away. It was as though he expected someone to arrive there, to appear out of thin air and stand on that stone any second now…

Mr. Clubtail staggered back as fast as he could, heart beating quickly, an unspeakable fear buzzing in every part of him. He stared at the cave, wide-eyed.

"What – what is this place?" he said.

"You've seen too much."

A crackle of rocks, this time much too close. Mr. Clubtail whirled his head toward the voice. Before he could turn fully, something big and large whammed into his side. He gasped, all of his breath taken away. Before he could react, there was a second wham. He staggered, tried to balance, but then another wham came, and another.

He attempted to turn, to find a way to strike back with his clubtail but the strikes were relentless. His attacker wasn't giving him any quarter to recover, the pain such he stumbled away to give himself even a second's respite. Whimpering, it took all he could to keep his wits together. He glanced at his attacker, to search for any weaknesses, and froze in shock.

"You?" he gasped. "Why – why are you-"

His attacker didn't answer, didn't pause, but whammed Mr. Clubtail's head and shoulders, again, again. He shook his head, blinking some red out of his eyes. He found the blows were forcing him back, driving him with purpose toward the edge.

"No!" he said, panicked. "Please, no!"

The words weren't acknowledged. With another wham, Mr. Clubtail's right legs shifted on the cliff. He scrambled desperately, searching for purchase, but with the greatest wham yet, he was sent over the edge.

Mr. Clubtail screamed, turning over on his back as he fell, his attacker's cold face shrinking with distance. Terror and grief consumed him. No, not like this, he still had so much to do, so many ordinary but wonderful things left to accomplish. He waved his legs desperately, trying to grasp something, anything, but he could only watch helplessly as the ground rapidly neared.

There was almighty crack. Mr. Clubtail was aware of white-hot agony radiating from his back, slicing furiously, mercilessly, through every part of him.

And then he knew no more.

 **Next time…**

 **Seeking Sanctuary Part 1**

* * *

 **Note:** Hope to post the next set of chapters by March or April. Haven't written the chapters that follow them and depending on how they go, I might have to alter some details on said next set before posting them.


	10. Seeking Sanctuary Part 1

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 10: Seeking Sanctuary Part 1**

The bright circle was early in the sky, and Littlefoot was walking with his grandparents. Dinosaurs around them got up and stretched around them. He was still blinking away sleep from his eyes but a smile was on his face. They had fun with his friends yesterday, went to sleep closer together than usual, and were about to have breakfast as a family. With no ghost business to complicate things yesterday, his chest was filled with a bouncy warmth for the day ahead.

"Say Littlefoot," Grandpa Longneck said, "I think it's time for you to try to get some of your own water greens. What do you think?"

"Sounds like fun." Littlefoot said. "I'm a much better at swimming thanks to Ducky. I'm sure I can get them."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself." Grandma Longneck said, a twinkle in her eye. "Remember when you got tangled in some on the shallower end of the watering hole?"

"That was a long time ago. I'm much better now."

"We'll see," she said. "I expect this time you won't be tied up in water greens and struggling in a way that only gets yourself tangled up even more."

"Hey." Littlefoot chuckled.

"Yes." Grandpa Longneck smiled. "I remember it just like yesterday. After we freed you, you ate the water greens so proudly, like you caught them yourself."

"Aww, cut it out." Littlefoot laughed, rubbing his cheek bashfully. "Come on. I can – I –"

His grandparents chuckled and gave him playful nuzzles.

"In all seriousness, we have all the confidence you can pull it off." Grandpa Longneck said.

"I look forward to you standing proudly with your catch with mud all over you." Grandma Longneck said. "That is always a joy to see."

"I'll get mud all over you two if you keep this up." Littlefoot shot back.

"I wouldn't advice that." Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "You'd really regret getting grownups involved in a mud…"

He didn't finish his sentence. Looking up in confusion, Littlefoot saw his grandparents had stopped, their gazes fixed on a crowd gathered around a sweet bubble patch. Several of them stood still, as though staring at something on the ground, while others whispered amongst themselves and clicked their tongues. There were too many legs and bodies in the way to see what they were looking at but it caused a great gloom to fall over them indeed.

"Excuse me." Grandpa Longneck approached. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Huh?" One person near the rear of the crowd turned. It was Mr. Threehorn, face tight and grim. "Oh, it's you two. Come here. This is much bigger than a problem and…I think it needs your attention."

"Why, what's happening?" Grandma Longneck said, confused.

"It's, ah…" Mr. Threehorn shook his head. "You're going to have to see for yourself." He waved for the grandparents to follow him into the crowd but stopped when he saw Littlefoot accompanying them. "Except for you, Littlefoot. Stay over there."

"What, why?" Littlefoot tottered forward. "What's going on?"

"I said stay over there!" Mr. Threehorn snapped. He softened. "You don't want to see this."

Littlefoot jerked away. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck gave Littlefoot a bemused look but seeing Mr. Threehorn's face, they offered no objections. Staring, Littlefoot walked back, covering some three longneck lengths before Mr. Threehorn nodded and led Grandpa and Grandma Longneck into squeezing here and there to the center of the crowd. As longnecks, his grandparents' heads towered over everyone else, so Littlefoot could still see them as they lowered their gazes to the object of grim fascination.

"Ah." Grandpa Longneck reeled back. " _No._ "

Grandma Longneck shook her head. "Oh Mr. Clubtail. How?"

Littlefoot became uneased. What did Mr. Clubtail have to do with why everyone was so sad?

Then he became aware of a faint, sweet smell drifting in the air. Littlefoot gasped and staggered back, the implications hitting him like a sledgehammer.

*It can't be. Not him. This has got to be a misunderstanding.*

"Morning Littlefoot. What's with the crowd over there?"

Littlefoot turned to see his friends had arrived, Tria and Tricia accompanying them. Cera had spoken and was looking curiously at the crowd in question. Littlefoot opened his mouth, closed it. Yesterday had been a lot of fun. The day of rest and play had allowed them to recover from the ghost trauma and he could see on their relaxed faces that it had done their sleep good. Littlefoot couldn't bring himself to shatter their mood. Before he could say anything, Chomper's nose twitched.

"Hey, what's that smell?" Chomper frowned. "It's kind of familiar. What are they looking at that...?"

He stilled. Chomper turned to Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot," Chomper said tepidly, "why does Mr. Clubtail have _that_ smell around him? It can't mean – he isn't…"

Cera and the others stared at Chomper. Then they all jerked. As a sharptooth, there would be only one reason why Chomper would be terrified about a certain smell on Mr. Clubtail. Ruby clapped hands her beak.

"No," she said. "No."

Littlefoot lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry. They aren't talking like he's alive and if Chomper's nose says it…"

Whatever energy that had been in everyone was sucked out. Tria glanced at the crowd and pushed Tricia to Cera.

"Look after your sister, Cera. You kids stay here." Tria rushed to the crowd and stopped to give them a stern look worthy of her husband. "Don't follow me."

She met Mr. Threehorn, nuzzling him before they vanished into the crowd. The gang stood there in silence.

"Mr. Clubtail, dead?" Ducky said slowly. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. But he was happy!"

"Me just see him yesterday while flying with Mama." Petrie murmured. "He was eating treestars. It strange hearing he gone now."

"I – I was just joking." Cera said faintly. "Me and Dad were just having a laugh. We weren't really being – was that the last thing I said to him?"

Cera collapsed. Tricia ran up to her, warbling in concern, and Cera put a foreleg around her for comfort. Ducky slid off Spike's neck and accepted his one-arm embrace, sniffling. Petrie landed on Littlefoot's shoulder and leaned against his neck. Chomper only stood there, stunned, helpless. Littlefoot knew the feeling. They weren't close to Mr. Clubtail but that someone they frequently saw and traded words with was gone overnight was a horrible shock. Ruby was rubbing Chomper's back in slow, soothing strokes but she looked alertly at Littlefoot.

"What happened?" she asked. "What caused this?"

"I don't know." Littlefoot said. "I couldn't see him – I don't want to see him. I think the grownups are talking about it but I haven't caught much."

Ruby rubbed her chin. "You're right and Tria's right. We shouldn't try to see him. But we can try to hear what happened to him."

Tricia shuffled and mumbled nervously but Cera shushed her. Littlefoot and the others edged closer, keying their hearing to make out what the grownups were saying. At first it was difficult, since so many voices were overlapping with one another, but soon the worried tones of Tria became clear.

"…think he ate something wrong and got poisoned?"

"I don't think so." Grandpa Longneck answered. "See his back? This is something physical."

"He could have had a bad fall but crawled here and died later." Mr. Thicknose suggested. "There are no marks to indicate he landed here."

"That's possible." Grandma Longneck agreed. "But why didn't he call for help if he could at least move around?"

"What could we do?" Mr. Threehorn said. "We don't have anything that could fix someone after a big fall. We would have just dithered around as he faded. Maybe he wanted to spend his last moments around his precious sweet bubbles where no one would bother him. In some ways, I can understand him."

There were nods and murmurs of agreement. A new voice entered. "There's that possibility. There's also the possibility he was dragged here to make you think that."

Starting, everyone looked around and found Verter among their number. Littlefoot glimpsed him examining the out-of-view body with an air of sympathy.

"Poor clubtail." Verter said. "He didn't stand a chance."

"What do you mean, he was dragged here to make us think that?" Tria asked.

"Are you saying this wasn't an accident?" Grandma Longneck said.

"You could say that." Verter said casually.

"So a sharptooth did this?" Guido said fearfully.

Verter's lip curled. "He would have been stripped to the bone then. Besides...sharpteeth are far from the only ones who have a killing intent."

A burst of whispers followed. Dinosaurs in the crowd looked amongst themselves with concern and suspicion. A few looked back to take a visual sweep of the valley, as though they could spot potential suspects from here. Grandpa Longneck gazed around.

"Calm down. Calm down!" Once everyone fell silent, he made sure to meet their eyes. "Let's not jump to any conclusions. As we all remember, doing so in the past has only led to unnecessary conflict."

"It's not out of the realm of possibility that a leaf eater could have done this." Grandma Longneck hastened to add. "However, before we start making accusations, we need to make sure it's a reality."

"But what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" a male swimmer asked.

"Yes, what if whoever did this goes after someone else?" Mrs. Maia said.

"Then until we figure out this mystery, we should avoid being alone if we can help it." Tria said reasonably. "Travel in groups, or at least be in sight of others if some of us insist on being loners. That way, it would be harder for anyone to try anything. Also avoid any high places. I know that may be hard for some people, especially flyers but…"

"My sentiments exactly." Mr. Threehorn briefly smiled at her. "That especially goes for the children. If they're not within a parent's sight, they should be with a trusted adult or family member. They should be cautious."

"Prior warning will give everyone a tactical advantage." Verter agreed. "But what to do if you're the one confronted by this mysterious killer? Preventative measures can only go so far. Did Mr. Clubtail have any training to defend himself?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Grandpa Longneck said. "He has helped us in a few times of danger but, like many of us, he didn't make a habit of putting himself in combat situations."

Verter nodded. "Few do. But if Mr. Clubtail had no training, then he had nothing to work with when his life was threatened. I find that if you train, you build the skills and instincts necessary to live in this frightening world. And with this mysterious death in front of us…no time like the present. You do remember our talks yesterday, Topps?"

"Yes." Mr. Threehorn met his gaze, but it flickered a bit. "You already know our answer. Our daughters are too young for that level of training."

"Not Cera, though." Verter said. "From what you two said about her adventures, she sounds more than ready to begin training. Chomper too. For someone so young, he must manage himself well if he can keep up with Cera and their friends."

"Even so, this training can be quite dangerous. I wouldn't recommend it for children."

Tria nodded. "Even when I tried it as an older threehorn, it was quite taxing. I'm not so sure they're ready."

"Don't worry, I said I won't give them that kind of regiment." Verter said soothingly. "But with this threat lurking in the valley and how wide-ranging these kids are, wouldn't it be better if your daughter and her friend were better able to defend themselves?"

Mr. Threehorn faltered and even Tria showed a flicker of doubt at the concept of this threat being close to their daughter and their friends while they were alone. Frowning, Grandpa Longneck stepped closer.

"You shouldn't be pressuring them into making this sort of decision," he said.

"This is threehorn business." Verter said. "Please know your place."

"Cera's family and Chomper are part of the valley. Any concern of theirs is a concern of ours." Grandpa Longneck said. "Besides, even under that pronouncement, Chomper doesn't fit. He isn't a threehorn, and he's too young."

"But he is a special child. He and Cera are the only children among their friends who already have the greatest potential for combat. No matter how young he is, to protect his friends, wouldn't it be better to hone his skills and, while we still can, temper some of his…unique needs?"

There was silence. Some of the crowd shifted, averting their gazes from Chomper, more than a few not appearing to disagree with the assessment.

"That is a concern that will…need to be addressed." Grandpa Longneck said uncomfortably. "But Cera and Chomper are still children. They shouldn't be fighting grownups' battles."

"That isn't very smart." Verter said. "When I was young, threehorn kids had to train hard and be treated maturely to make it to adulthood. It wasn't fun but at least we survived."

"That might have been necessary in your time but not in the valley." Grandma Longneck said. "I agree children should learn to be cautious but they shouldn't go through the rigor of work adults must deal with. Here, it is safe enough they could relax and be allowed to enjoy their youth."

"With this killer around, the valley's no longer safe," he replied. "From what I heard, this place hasn't been much safe anyway. Fires, earthshakes, sharptooth incursion…I'm amazed no children seemed to have died. Cera's friends need to be prepared to know how to defend themselves while their luck still holds out. It's the only way to keep them safe."

"Even if your killer theory is right, the way to keep them safe is with family and trusted grownups," she said. "We'll make sure they don't wander off. We'll teach the kids to be responsible, like we always do."

Verter smiled. "You mustn't be doing a good job of teaching them to be responsible then, since Littlefoot keeps wandering off with his friends into danger."

"That's –" Grandma Longneck said but her mouth stayed open a second too long. She and her mate shifted uneasily under the gazes of the others, more than a few whom appeared doubtful.

Verter turned to Mr. Threehorn and Tria.

"So," Verter said, "does my proposition sound sensible?"

"I – I still have my doubts." Tria said, a bit overwhelmed after that public argument. "They should be the ones looked after. They shouldn't be doing it only by themselves."

"You can't guarantee they won't sneak off again. They're a naturally curious lot and who knows how long this crises will last. You can't be alert forever, Tria. Instead of trying to prevent the inevitable, why don't we give these kids the instincts they need to defend themselves against the current threat? It will benefit everyone."

Tria opened and closed her mouth. She glanced at her mate for assistance but his head were lowered with indecision. Almost glaring, Tria turned back to Verter.

"We can't force the kids to do this."

"Who said anything about force? Cera and Chomper did express interest, why not ask their opinions? They do matter, since they have an actual chance at _passing_."

Tria flinched. Verter turned and left the crowd, she and Mr. Threehorn hastily following. Verter stopped in front of the gang, gaze on Cera and Chomper.

"So," he said casually, "interested in becoming stronger?"

Cera slowly looked at her parents and then at Tricia, who was watching her with confused wonderment. That hardened her resolve.

"If it means if I can do something," she said, stepping forward.

The gang glanced at her, concern rising in them. Chomper gazed at his friends, lingering on each of them as though trying to remember their faces. He stood taller.

"If it's to protect my friends." he said.

"Good." Verter nodded firmly. "What say you, Topps, Tria?"

Mr. Threehorn was uncertain but a look at Verter's confident gaze and he sighed. "Very well. I'm not Chomper's parent anyway and it'd be a load off my mind if I knew Cera can take care of herself."

Tria stared, breaths a touch quicker, but shook her head. "I'm not Chomper's parent either but my warning to him is the same for Cera – be careful. Don't overextend yourselves."

"Great." Verter said. "Shall we get going? I know just the place."

Verter walked off and Chomper and Cera followed, the latter lingering long enough to nuzzle her sister. In the silence of their departure, the only sounds were Littlefoot's grandparents and Mr. Thicknose whispering in the crowd, heads low as they looked at something. Tricia watched Cera's distancing figure, concerned.

"Cera?" Tricia said.

"It's okay, Tricia." Tria pressed her face against Tricia's. "Cera will be back before we go to sleep. Your dad will even check on her."

"He will?" Mr. Threehorn said.

"Yes." Steeling herself, Tria turned to her mate. "Please Topsy, watch at least a bit of what they do. I want to be assured this training isn't something beyond their ability."

"Verter probably knows what he's doing," he said. "I mean, it's not like we exactly forget what it's like to be kids."

"Really? Didn't you say 'I was?' after I reminded you you were a child once?"

Mr. Threehorn had the grace to look sheepish. Closing her eyes briefly, Tria continued more gently.

"The two of us are parents," she said. "Raising our daughters has made me especially cognizant of the limits children have. Verter isn't a parent, so he mightn't remember that as well. Please, Topsy. You don't even need to be seen by him. Just watch in the shadows and when you get a good sense of his training style, come back to me. If it's nothing, it'll turn out to be nothing. Come on, you know it'll be a load off both our minds."

Mr. Threehorn seemed to have an inner battle before shaking his head. "Oh – you're right. But if he catches me, he'll know it was your idea."

"He can take it up with me if he has a problem." Tria said. "See you later."

Mr. Threehorn nodded and began his careful trek after Verter, Cera, and Chomper. Tricia took a step in his direction.

"Daddy?" she said.

"Don't worry, your dad will be back soon." Tria nudged her in another direction. "In the meantime, why don't we visit Dinah and Dana? You haven't seen your cousins in a while and it would be fun to play with them again.

Tricia perked up slightly. Sharing smiles, the pair walked off. Littlefoot and the others stared in the direction where their friends went, something in their instincts making a slight unease come in.

Before they could muse over it too closely, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck tread toward them, expressions troubled. They were careful to keep their bodies wide and tail's low to block Mr. Clubtail from view, in case any crowd member moved and exposed him. Littlefoot didn't want to see anything, so kept his eyes to his grandparents' faces. But he caught movement at the bottom of his vision. For a second, in spite of himself, he looked down between their legs and saw the bodies of the crowd, moving hither and tither. In between those shifting limbs, Littlefoot glimpsed a tail laying on the grass, battered and inert.

A clubtail's tail…

Littlefoot's eyes shot up but his heart pounded and the image lingered in his mind. The elder longnecks stopped, gazing at the children with sadness but none the wiser about their grandson's transgression.

"It seems you've guessed what happened." Grandpa Longneck sighed. "Please stay away, children. You shouldn't see Mr. Clubtail like this."

"But what will happen to him?" Ducky asked. "Will – will we be able to say goodbye?"

"We haven't discussed final arrangements yet." Grandma Longneck said. "Go back to your families. Word will spread about what happened and you shouldn't worry your parents."

"I guess I'll go with Petrie since Chomper is busy and my family..." Ruby's eyes flicked down briefly. "So, um…any clues to what happened to Mr. Clubtail?"

"We can't say at the moment. If there's anything the valley needs to watch out for, we'll be sure to inform you." Grandpa Longneck said. "In the meantime, be careful not to spread rumors. It's probably wise not to discuss this too much with others anyway, but if you must, wait for confirmed word from people like us, alright?"

The gang nodded. With slow steps, Ruby and Petrie went off in one direction while Ducky and Spike went off in the other. With a head wave, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck led Littlefoot away. Littlefoot felt the temptation to look back as he heard Mr. Thicknose direct the others in how to move Mr. Clubtail's body, but he didn't. For one, he didn't want to upset his grandparents. For another, that inert tail was still burned in his mind and he wasn't going to allow sick curiosity make him feel more horrible than he already was.

"How are you doing, Littlefoot?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"Fine. Maybe." Littlefoot looked away. "It's just – poor Mr. Clubtail."

"I know." Grandpa Longneck said. "Rest assured, we'll get to the bottom of this."

"He wasn't always the most cheery-tempered," Grandma Longneck said, "but he had a good heart. His contributions will be missed."

Their sad, accepting tone made something in Littlefoot wince. "I – I can't believe he's gone just like that," he mumbled. "It's like I can just go to a sweet bubble patch now and there he'd be, munching away and being grumpy. It seems so sudden."

"Yes." Grandpa Longneck nodded and closed his eyes. "Even in the Great Valley, life can be cruel. For some, death is something that can be prepared for. For others, it's something sudden that snatches you in the middle of the night and all of the words loved ones have for you are left unsaid. We find it difficult to deal with as well but when you live as long as we have, you learn to cope with it."

Littlefoot shuddered. "But that's terrible. What happens if any of my friends die like that? There's so much I want to tell them – so much I haven't even thought of yet. If they die before I could say those things, I don't know what I'd do with myself. Isn't there anything we can do to stop it?"

"How can we stop nature?" Grandma Longneck asked. "The best anyone can do is be cautious and not take unnecessary risks. However, as Mr. Clubtail sadly shows, we can't protect ourselves against whatever the circle of life has planned for us."

An ugly curdling came into Littlefoot's stomach. "The circle of life. I'm really beginning to hate that phrase."

"We understand your resentment." Grandpa Longneck said. "But please remember Littlefoot, there is good that comes with the circle. You and your friends demonstrate that with every good deed you do – like with Mr. Clubtail. You were very kind to him yesterday. I'm sure that made him very happy."

"But what good was it if he was still going to up and die the next day?" Littlefoot glared down, kicking at the grass. "I hate the circle. Someone should go drown it in a pond."

Grandpa Longneck glanced at him warningly. "Careful there. You don't want to go down the path those kind of thoughts take you."

"Why not? It took Mr. Clubtail suddenly. Maybe it'll take you two tomorrow. If that happens-" In his mind's eye, that battered clubbed tail was replaced by two lifeless longneck tails. Littlefoot shook his head. "No, no. I'm not going to live like this!"

"Littlefoot, sometimes you have to accept there's only so much you can do." Grandma Longneck said. "If you lose us like that, it will hurt – we won't deny that. But as the circle turns, you'll come to bare the pain and move-"

"Stop!" Littlefoot jerked his head down, closing his eyes. "Stop mentioning the circle of life! I hate it, I hate freaking it! You always do this, you always try to make me accept things that should change! It doesn't help anyone, it only hurts me even more. Just…leave me alone. Please."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck jerked up, taken aback by Littlefoot's outburst. In the following silence, their muscles slackened and they turned their heads forward. Littlefoot didn't notice. A coolness lay heavy in his stomach. Mr. Clubtail was gone. Littlefoot would never speak to him again. That path was closed off, and it was going to be the beginning of more closed paths in his life.

* * *

Petrie flew with Ruby back to his nest. He tried to let the wind guide him to pleasant thoughts, but he felt hollow inside. Mr. Clubtail, dead. Mr. Clubtail, never coming back. In spite of himself, memories involving the clubtail came back to him. Mr. Clubtail's meal getting interrupted when Petrie bungled yet another Day of the Flyers practice run. The gang's exasperation as they tried to persuade Mr. Clubtail to part with a portion of his sweet bubbles for Ruby's Star Day. Petrie felt a twinge of guilt. He wondered if he and his friends bothered him too much. They have irritated other valley denizens, so maybe it was true for Mr. Clubtail. Petrie wasn't sure, and that they might never know or be able to make up for it made him sniffle.

And this death likely wasn't an accident. There was a killer on the loose in the Great Valley, who murdered Mr. Clubtail for unknown reasons. Any moment now, the killer might strike again. Fearfully, Petrie's eyes darted about, looking for anyone that might be looking at him and Ruby funny, ears pricked for any sounds of ominously rustling foliage. But he had no idea what to watch out far. What kind of dinosaur was the killer? How did he make Mr. Clubtail fall to his death? Petrie didn't know and the vagueness of this threat was nearly as frightening as the threat itself.

*What do we do? There got to be something to stop this.*

Desperately, he turned to Ruby. Sadness tinged her eyes and there was a slumped gait to her steps. Yet there was a focus to her gaze, the way she gripped her beak, that hinted at an energy. Mr. Clubtail's death made her sad but it also sprung her to action. She was thinking with a clear mind, attempting to figure out what happened. Petrie had seen her ability to find solutions in crises before, and that she was still able to do this now caused him some trace of envy.

*Me wish me can be that smart. Me try to come up with ideas but they don't work. Me keep missing big details even if they right in front of me…*

"Are you okay, Petrie?"

Keyed up as he was, Petrie wasn't prepared for the unfamiliar voice that pierced the silence. Yelping, Petrie nearly fell out of the sky. Righting himself with a few hasty wing beats, his head darted about but he was relieved to find it was only Guido gliding alongside him.

"Oops, sorry I startled you." Guido said sheepishly. "I guess I should have hailed you before I got close to you…or not got close at all, that is kind of creepy. Uh, not that I wanted to be creepy, it's just-"

"Hey, it fine, Guido." Petrie said, waving reassuringly.

"Yes, Guido." Ruby said. She pressed a hand to her heart but her smile bore relief. "You did startle us, but we hold no grudge for accidental startles especially if they come from a friend."

"So what you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, um." Guido glanced away, tripping a bit as he landed to walk with them. "I couldn't stand being near that scene. I wasn't going to be much help there anyway. As I was gliding away, Littlefoot's grandparents called me over to ask me to watch over you. With that killer whoever on the loose, the least I can do is help keep an eye out until you get back with your folks."

"It seems like great minds think alike."

A shadow appeared above them. Swooper came in for a landing, staggering but righting himself with his usual genial chuckle.

"Swooper!" Petrie said. "Should you be flying alone? Me mean, you can't see where you going."

"Don't worry." Swooper gave a reassuring sweep of the wing. "The other old flyers gave me tips on how to fly and walk around well enough that I at least won't smack into a mountain before meeting someone that can help me along. Even at my age, you can still learn new things." More softly, he continued. "I heard about what happened to that clubtail fellow. Thought you kids might need some company."

"Thanks." Ruby smiled wanly at Guido and Swooper. "It's good to be watched by good friends while dealing with the loss of this friend."

Petrie nodded, eyes lowered. "Me sad. We not big friends but we still talked to him lots."

"I'm sad too." Ruby said. "I already miss him. I mean, that can't be right, I didn't know Mr. Clubtail anywhere near as long as Petrie knew him."

"Don't be like that." Petrie landed on her shoulder and touched her neck. "Me not know you and Chomper as long as me know Littlefoot and others but you two as much my friends. Same with how you feel about Mr. Clubtail. Time no matter on that."

Ruby smiled appreciatively. Guido lowered his gaze.

"Mr. Clubtail helped me with trying to figure out who I am," he said. "I mean, I wasn't a clubtail and being hit by his bopper wasn't fun, but at least he tried."

"I'm afraid I hadn't had met this Mr. Clubtail you keep referring to." Swooper said. "He was that fella who really liked sweet bubbles, right?"

Ruby chuckled. "That was him. We only found that out after my friends tried to find a sweet bubble gift for me. We talked about funny food tips a few times after that." She sobered up. "It…hurts we won't be able to have those funny talks again."

"Yeah." Petrie said. "He – he always around. That he not now…" he shook his head. "Why anyone do this?"

"I'm thinking the same thing," she said. "Staying with your parents and being escorted by good friends will keep us safe, but what will really keep us safe is finding the killer."

Petrie nodded quickly. "That good idea. Me like valley. Me don't want it to be sad place to live."

"Are you thinking of finding out who the killer is?" Guido asked nervously. "Ah, how about not? That doesn't sound safe at all."

"Don't worry, I'm just thinking of us looking at the clues and trying to put them together." Ruby assured. "We might poke around a bit for those clues, but we won't be poking around a lot."

"Still, that does carry risks." Swooper said. "The circle of life is already mighty cruel, taking young'uns like Mr. Clubtail ahead of old coots like me. I don't want to outlive you sweet kids."

"Me don't either." Petrie said. "Well, me want you to live long time too. But it better if someone find killer and it hard not to think about."

"Where to begin though?" Ruby murmured. "Mr. Clubtail was pushed from a very high place and there are many high places in the valley. Not to mention any kind of dinosaur might have done this for any reason."

"That's true." Swooper sighed. "If there's one downside to living as long as I have, it's seeing the many reasons people have to hurt others."

"But maybe it not for any reason." Petrie said. "Verter did say killer want to make Mr. Clubtail's death look like accident."

"Hmm." For some reason, Ruby frowned. "Well, he might be correct there. There were drag marks in the grass, so the killer wants everyone to think it's an accident or, if they don't think it's an accident, at least no one will know where the not-accident happened. Someone has something to hide and they've done a good job of hiding it."

"But why? Does someone have grudge with Mr. Clubtail?"

"Really?" Guido said. "I mean, he could be grouchy at times but who holds grudges for that?"

"It can be for more than that but I don't know." Ruby shook her head sadly. "Do you know much about his life?"

"Not really." Petrie admitted. "His family and friends might know."

"But with it being so close to his death, they likely aren't in the mood for interrogating." Swooper pointed out. "Leave that to the grownups. It mightn't be safe."

"You right. Killer might be among them." Petrie said nervously. "Asking weird questions might make them think we have to go next."

"You children have no idea how this killer works."

The four started. Looking up, they found a shape slowly flapping past. Don descended to fly low beside them, a bit of exasperation cracking his severe expression.

"For Wing Father's sake, this one wants to remain inconspicuous." Don continued. "They wouldn't do something as silly as kill everyone that attempts to sniff them out. That would only lead a trail of bodies right to them."

"Really? Phew." Petrie wiped his forehead. "Then we safe."

Ruby didn't appear convinced. "What would you know about killers?"

"I've only encountered a few myself," Don said loftily, "but I've observed enough nefarious types who couldn't gather the nerve to take the extra step that I was able to extrapolate how different kinds of killers work."

"That is a good way to observe," she admitted, "but people don't always act as you observe. If anyone gets too close to figuring out who killed Mr. Clubtail, the killer might panic and do something dangerous."

"It took a smart mind to consider placing the body elsewhere and making it look like an accident. For Wing Father's sake, they won't panic easily if they want to keep their identity secret."

"But, um…" Petrie said, trying to keep up. "Not all secret keepers and secrets same, right?"

"Yeah. Not to mention the Great Valley is different from the Mysterious Beyond." Ruby pointed out. "They might be able to keep their identity secret out there where you keep your head down or die, but that isn't going to fly in a peaceful valley like this. They would have a harder time keeping their identity secret if it was an act of passion."

"Have you seen the body to judge whether this was premeditated or not?" Don snorted. "For Wing Father's sake, most leaf eaters know enough of the valley's reputation that they would take that into account either way."

"You sure like slinging around Wing Father a lot." Swooper observed. "I don't think I've heard that parlance among flyers before."

"It's an ancient phrase, passed down within my family." Don said icily. "Only recently have I begun to appreciate it."

"We couldn't see the body, really." Ruby said, stroking her chin. "I admit, that does mean we don't have the information to make those guesses."

"You say something earlier about secret." Petrie said. "Maybe – maybe Mr. Clubtail find out something killer didn't like and had to go."

Don snorted. "Are you saying there is some grand conspiracy behind the killing? You are being absurd. Real life is rarely like that."

Petrie winced. Ruby's gaze was low and anxious. Seeing their reaction, Guido glared and even Swooper could read the silence well enough to give an unfocused but disapproving look.

"What are you trying to accomplish, Don?" Swooper said. "Petrie and Ruby are dealing with the loss of a dear friend. I think you can be a bit kinder in your disagreements."

"Facts do not care whether you're courteous or not." Don replied. "For Wing Father's sake, in order for your views not to be dismissed, you have to be forceful with them. This is especially true when dealing with the younger generation, who can't appreciate an elder's age means he know so much more than them."

"Now that isn't always right. Even if we have used our time wisely, the most well-learned among us might still get thrown if something new appears."

"That is true." Guido murmured. "I mean, I met some elders here and they had no idea what I was."

Don gave him a fixed look. "I suppose you disagree with my assessment too."

"No, I think you make some good points about this killer being smart. It's just, um, since we're all guessing, there's still a chance you might be wrong."

"These two are guessing with even more tenuous evidence." Don said. "They barely know anything about Mr. Clubtail and the basic facts of this murder."

Ruby bristled. "You don't know much either. For all we know, this killer mightn't be so smart after all."

Petrie nodded. "Even dim people have smart ideas once in while. They won't be smart all the time."

Don sniffed. "You don't have the experience and knowledge I have to make this kinds of speculation. You are on the right track in that the killer attempted to cover up the death as an accident but your thoughts about motive and intelligence aren't even circumstantial."

"Circum-what?" Petrie said blankly.

"You don't even have indirect proof about those matters. It's all flimsy guesswork."

"Well, we only just got started." Ruby said defensively. "Once we start hearing evidence, we can put it together and-"

"Your lack of experience will lead you to similar improper conclusions." Don finished. "I have heard about your children's exploits and they are admirable. But in this time of danger, you shouldn't complicate this delicate matter by getting involved. Any unconsidered actions might catch an innocent in this mess – either to defend you against the actual murderer or be accused of committing the murder himself."

Ruby opened her mouth but there was only silence. A sinking feeling came in. As much as she hated to admit it, through Don's bluster, there was a valid point. She was still reeling from Mr. Clubtail's death. Finding out foul play might be involved gave her a course to channel the ache inside her. If she could help uncover the killer's identity, then they could suffer the consequences for taking a beloved valley member away from her. But she hadn't been thinking fully about what this investigation might mean. Not only could even tentative snooping put her and her friends at risk, but it might tarnish the name of an innocent person. She and her friends might have solved mysterious before, but finding a murderer was a whole other level. Sighing, she looked down.

"You might be right." Ruby said. "Me and Petrie don't have the experience to handle this – but how should we handle this? It's not like we can stand back and do nothing."

"You'll have to be content with that course of action." Don said. "For Wing Father's sake, this isn't a job for children. Let adults handle this. Speculate if you want but at least have an adult companion who'll make sure your speculation won't spread wildly and can guide it in a sensible direction. The trouble is finding the right adult. As we all know, sensibility isn't what the valley is known for."

Rubbed his chest thoughtfully, Petrie said. "Why not you be our sensible adult?"

Don jerked. "I beg your pardon?"

"That's a good idea, Petrie." Ruby perked up. "You can help look for clues in a way that we can see the clues for what they really are."

"Don't mock me."

"We not." Petrie insisted. "You talk like you have sensible experience. Since you keep correcting us on what to do, why not help us think about killer?"

"You'll be our adult supervisor and supervise how we figure out the killer." Ruby said. "It's a good arrangement. What do you say, Don?"

Don hesitated but touched his beak, having not expected this turn of events. Petrie waited in anticipation. Despite his curmudgeon temperament, Don did seem to know a bit of what he was talking about. Like yesterday morning, with the herd arrival and Chomper being discovered. Petrie wasn't happy at the thought of more contact with Don but if he could help, that would be wonderful. Ruby crossed her arms and waited, expression a cross between intrigued and amused. At length, Don made sound of frustration.

"Oh, for Wing Father's sake…" he muttered. "I guess I should take it as a compliment you would choose me."

Petrie lit up. Ruby simply smiled. Guido and Swooper were staring, stunned.

"Kids," Swooper said, "erm, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah." Guido said. "No offense, but he's kind of a grouch."

"He grouchy but he know stuff." Petrie said. "He does seem to care enough to warn us away."

"His vast knowledge will help us well in speculating about what happened." Ruby clasped her hands together. "Glad to have your cooperation, Don."

Don grumbled.

"Where shall we have our…discussions?" he said at last.

"Where Mama and family live." Petrie said. "Don't worry, there plenty space on side of nest to sit and talk."

"Now shall we talk on the way there?" Ruby said. "We mustn't dawdle, there is much to talk about."

"Like what kind of killer this is. Me want to know about that."

"And what motive you can guess from what you know so far. I have a few guesses, but I want to know what you think."

"Excuse me," Guido cut in, "but um, are we still needed?"

"Yes, it sounds like we might be hangers-on to this fascinating conversation." Swooper said. "Will you kids be alright, with Don keeping the eye on you and all?"

Don raised himself. "I'm not going to just let anything happen to them. For Wing Father's sake, I can shout if there's trouble."

Swooper chuckled. "If there's one thing I heard about you, it's that you're good at making yourself heard. Despite the unhappy circumstances, it was good to be with you kids again. I hope you take care of yourselves."

"We will try." Ruby said. "Thank you, Swooper."

"Yeah, bye." Petrie said.

"Yeah, see you –" Guido walked up a rock and took off, only to stagger back onto the grass. "See you-" He climbed up a bigger rock, jumped out as a swirl of wind passed, and landed on his feet with a wince. "See-" He ran up a small hill up ahead and jumped, barely able to avoid landing flat on his face. He groaned. "Oh, looks like you're not getting a glide away goodbye from me after all."

"Me thought you could glide okay now?" Petrie said worriedly.

"Me thought – um, I thought I did." Guido sighed. "Guess I need more practice."

Petrie and Ruby stared with concern. Swooper walked over, nearly tripping over Guido but jerking the glider up to his shoulder all the same.

"C'mon Guido, you can ride on me again. I can't promise to fly you anywhere, need time to get energy back into these wings, but I can at least save you the walk. I might need your help anyway, I've learned to move around a bit blind, but it'd be so swell to have another pair of eyes making sure I don't smack into a tree or something, oho. Anyway, toodaloo kids."

There was a flicker of confusion in Guido's eyes as Swooper spoke but he shook his head and smiled appreciatively. Petrie and Ruby lingered as they watched the elderly flyer leave with his charge, a bounce to his gait. Even at his age, Swooper had so much life, was still eager to learn. If only he could have more time to learn all that there was he wanted to learn…

Don coughed. "Don't we have some place to be?"

"Right." Ruby tore her eyes from where Swooper and Guido disappeared off. "Let's get walking and talking."

"Can you explain more why you think killer smart?" Petrie asked. "Me would like to know how you guess that."

"As I said, I've observed many kinds of people in my life." Don replied. "If anyone cared to pay attention, there were drag marks in the grass that led to the body. That Mr. Clubtail was placed in that sweet bubble patch indicated the killer at least had passing knowledge about his favorite food, so…"

Don continued talking, and Petrie listened with rapt interest. In spite of herself, Ruby found herself being drawn in. Whatever his flaws, Don didn't sound totally like the know-nothing know-it-all she presumed he was. She had hoped with this sudden bargain they could annoy Don enough he would stop harassing others about their supposed ignorance and go away, but it seemed she and Petrie might get something out of this. Nodding and making encouraging noises, Ruby and Petrie led their new acquaintance to Mama Flyer's nest.

* * *

In a grove, Spike and Ducky returned to their nest at a slow pace. Normally, he wasn't the type to rush anywhere unless something amusing or interesting was happening. But with this morning's terrible news, he just barely had the energy to put one foot in front of the other. He felt like he wouldn't be enlivened enough to rush anywhere again.

He could hear three sets of footsteps pass by on the other side of the line of foliage.

"…see why you're so broken up about it." Hyp's voice was saying. "You barely knew the guy."

"Hey man." Nod said. "He went with the other dads to rescue us in the Mysterious Beyond when my parents couldn't be there. We owe him."

Hyp and his posse moved on. The murmur of dinosaur feet and subdued chatter remained clear all around them. Word was spreading about Mr. Clubtail's fate and it wouldn't be long before the whole valley knew what happened. He knew that demanding them not to talk about it wouldn't change anything but Spike wanted to shut his ears, to stop the terrible numbness spreading through him.

Drops of wetness fell on his neck. Ducky rode atop him, trying to stifle tears. Occasional breaths shook out, sharp and wet, and they drove sharp pain into Spike's heart. Of course, Ducky would be hurting too. She mightn't have been close to Mr. Clubtail but when she cared, she cared deeply. That Mr. Clubtail was murdered would hit her in a hard way. As her brother, he felt he couldn't leave her crying without at least trying to bring her some comfort.

His sniffer soon caught the song of berries ahead, a whimsical and good-natured jingle, like the yellow bellies who lived for them. A line of bushes dotted with those red orbs came up and Spike stopped by one orb closest to Ducky level. He shoved into the bush, rising her from her tears.

"Hmm?" Ducky reddened eyes blinked down. "What, Spike? Why are we squish-ed in a bush?"

"Eh." Spike swung his head toward the berries.

Ducky looked at the berry nearest to her, eyelids fluttering as she attempted to piece out his meaning.

"You want me to eat a berry?" she asked. "But I am too sad to eat."

"Eh! Ehu ehu eh." Spike insisted. He gave his best concerned face, making his voice dry and scratchy.

Ducky stirred. "So it is because I am sad I need to eat," she said slowly. "Crying does make you dry…and I need to eat something wet to not have a bad throat. You worried about that, Spike?"

He nodded, smiling sadly. Her own lips twitching, Ducky rubbed her eyes before she unhooked the nearby berry from its stem and bit into it, juice leaking from her mouth as she chewed.

"It is good," she said thickly. She swallowed. "I – I needed that. Thanks, Spike."

"Eeh," he said bashfully, pleased.

Spike waited until she finished with her berry before he started feasting himself. The two ate, occasionally looking at each other and smiling as they compared juice-smeared lips. This was how it should be, he thought. A smile suited Ducky better. He mightn't know how to deal with a loss this huge, but he could do what he could to comfort her. Her smile still remained when a quarter of the berries from the bushes filled their stomachs.

"I am glad you are here to make me feel better, Spike," she said. "I did not mean to make you worry. It is just…this hurts so much."

He nodded sympathetically. Ducky slowly slid down and lay on her stomach, hugging his neck.

"Poor Mr. Clubtail," she murmured. "It just seems so sudden. I cannot imagine going on without him…"

Ducky sounded so drained, so depressed that Spike bayed mournfully. He could understand his sister's feelings. Spike ached for Mr. Clubtail too. Mr. Clubtail had been here since the gang arrived at the valley, and they had seen him frequently on their way to other games and adventures. They had exchanged greetings, bickered, and conversed over various matters. Mr. Clubtail had always been around, and appeared like he would always be around.

Now Spike and his friends would no longer be able to meet him. Mr. Clubtail had been taken from them, murdered. Spike felt sick. Mr. Clubtail had only been enjoying life, consuming the valley's bounties, being with the company he preferred. These moments of joy might be small but to Spike they were what life was about. But life also had danger and sometimes – often, even – not everyone made it…

*Life shouldn't be this way.*

Spike's stomach twisted. Mr. Clubtail didn't deserve this. Why must living be filled with so much risk? Shouldn't everyone be able to live a simple life, taking value in the small joys and loving their fellows? What purpose did this danger that tore apart bonds serve? For a moment, anger made hotness sting his eyes and he wanted to lash out at everything in the world that brought unhappiness to those he loved…

"Oh, I wish I didn't have to see you kids like this."

Spike snapped his head up. A rumble of heavy steps approached from their left, a large figure coming into view between the trees. With the news of a killer on the loose, that would have put the siblings on edge but that humble voice made Ducky sit up. They felt great relief even before the owner's gentle visage peered between the treetops.

"Pat!" Ducky cried.

Pat smiled sadly. "I heard about the bad news with Mr. Clubtail. Since you were close to him, I thought I should keep you company while making sure this killer doesn't harm you. If you don't mind…"

"Of course we do not mind." Ducky said. "I wish you would come around more often. Oh, we like having you around."

"Well, I don't want to impose. I remember how you kids went out of your way to help a random old stranger when you should've been tracking down your friend. I didn't want you to complicate your games just to involve me in the occasions." More softly, Pat continued. "I see now I should've come around more before something like this happened."

/

Ducky nodded, eyes lowered. Unable to hold herself back, she hopped off Spike and Pat lowered his head as they ran over to embrace his muzzle. After several seconds, Ducky and Spike broke away in confusion.

"Hang on," she said, "how do you know Mr. Clubtail was a friend? Did we mention that to you?"

There was the rustle from their left. Someone small stepped into view.

"Oh, he might have heard about it before but I was the one to tell him."

Ducky turned. "Skip?"

Their furry friend stood on his hind legs and gave a wave. Overcome with emotion, Ducky ran over and hugged him too, Spike nuzzling his fuzzy face. Skip seemed surprised but smiled as they pulled back.

"I was nearby, so Grandpa and Grandma Longneck called me over and explained the situation before they asked me to watch over you." Skip said. "I thought to get a bigger dinosaur to help, since I'm not much use in a fight with whatever can take down a clubtail." He fidgeted. "I hope you're okay with this. I mean, you two might want to be alone and-"

"Do not worry, we want company." Ducky patted Skip's shoulder. "We are very sad, so it makes us happy that good friends will make sure we are not alone, oh yes, yes, yes."

"That is good." Skip said, shoulders slumping with relief. "It's good to have friends. I realized that after coming here."

Pat nodded. "They can be very important in going through tough times." He lowered his head. "You kids doing alright?"

"I do not know." Ducky looked down. "Maybe not good. I mean, he was our friend…"

Pat sighed. "I can understand. You do not live to my age without losing people, sometimes suddenly."

"He is lost..." Ducky raised her gaze. "What do we do, Pat? It hurts. I do not like the thought of him not being around anymore."

Pat sighed. "The only thing you can do is take it from day to day. Mourn and seek help from friends and family. Gradually, living with the pain will become easier and you can do your best to live on for him."

"Live on for him?" Ducky fidgeted. "But that does not bring them back. We are not Mr. Clubtail, oh no, no, no."

"That's the best we can do." Skip sighed. "Sadly, once someone is gone, they are gone. Not even their bodies stick around for long."

"That is cruel, that is just –" Ducky struggled for words. "This is not fair. He was not even old."

"The world is an unfair and dangerous place." Pat said. "Many don't make it to my age. If you want to do something nice for Mr. Clubtail, try to remember him."

"Remember him?" Ducky repeated. "But memories are not him. We did not spend that much time with him, so how can he live on in memories? It only makes me want to spend more time with him."

"I'm sorry, but that isn't possible." Skip said gently. "You have to value the memories that you have. It's kind of complicated with my parents but it's what I learned. It's just-"

"That is not good enough!" Ducky closed her eyes. "There must be something else! I want him around him more, I do, I do!"

"Ducky," Pat brought his head close, "he isn't coming back. The only way you can keep him around is-"

"Stop!" Ducky put hands on her eyes. "There is only one him, and nothing can replace him! Him being gone…" she trailed off. "I cannot imagine it."

Silence. She walked over and leaned against her brother, eyes downcast.

"Why does he have to be gone?" she murmured. "Sure he could be grouchy but I – I liked him. He was so brave when he faced down those fast biters back when the Thundering Falls got blocked up and he tried to help Guido figure out who he was. He should be out there enjoying his sweet bubbles and other favorite foods. But he will not be able to do those things anymore. He – he must have been so scared. I do not want this to happen again. But with this killer…oh, what are we going to do?"

The tears returned and she hugged Spike's neck. Spike sat down and gently embraced her, his foreleg gentle, but there was an extra firmness that was for more than her comfort. Pat and Skip could only watch, surprise melting into guilt. Spike didn't blame them, knew Ducky didn't either, but this wasn't about them.

The enormity of it all snuffed Spike's anger out. Danger was webbed into every part of this large world. There were so many ways to get hurt, so many ways to die, his head spun. Even if one danger was solved, it would only be so long before another took its place. In one way, it was only delaying the inevitable. The causes of these heartbreaks were just too pervasive. Spike felt powerless to do anything about this, to make sure his family and friends could live a simple, happy life. That this wouldn't be the only time their lives would be marred by threat started to break him, and he joined his sister in the tears as they mourned what was already lost and the losses to come.

"Who's making all that racket?"

Ducky and Spike stopped crying. There was an impatient shuffle nearby and Tega emerged out of some foliage ahead, eyes darting around before landing on them.

"Oh, it's you kids," she continued. She chewed her piece of grass. "Why are you making that noise?"

Ducky and Spike glared. In their current state, this was the last person they wanted to meet. Pat gaze became stern.

"Now, miss," he said. "You aren't being very neighborly. These two are going through a hard time, and need space to cope."

"What, I can't ask whose disturbing my morning meal?" Tega stepped closer, focusing on the siblings' eyes. "Are those…is that crying? What has got you two all blubbery?"

"Go away!" Ducky cried, burying her face into Spike's neck. "Have you not heard about what happened?"

"Heard about what?" Tega asked. She spat out a piece of her grass. "I keep to myself, you know. I don't keep an ear out for gossip."

Somewhere in Ducky's grief-stricken mind, logic came up. Mr. Clubtail's death had just been discovered. The news was still spreading. It would take all day for everyone in the valley to learn of the tragedy. Ducky pulled herself from Spike's neck. She supposed it was her duty to give the word. Skip stepped forward as though to speak but Ducky waved him back, the berry juice feeling dry in her throat.

"It – it is Mr. Clubtail," she said. "Someone…killed him."

Tega's expression blanked. "Oh." Her chewing slowed. "Were you close to him?"

"No – yes. Not super-close but we talked. And now…" Ducky closed her eyes. "We should have done something! If we made him not go out yesterday or been there somehow, maybe we could have saved him, could have stopped the killer from-"

"Enough. Enough." Tega cut in, voice surprisingly low. "Thinking such thoughts aren't going to help anybody."

"But I cannot not think them! We have helped so many people and if we could have helped him-"

"He's dead. No matter how much you what-if about it, you can't reverse it. The only thing you can do is move on."

"But – but Mr. Clubtail was our friend. We cannot just go and act like he was never here. That hurts too much to think about."

Tega sighed. "If it hurts that much, maybe you shouldn't have been close to him in the first place."

Spike and Ducky stared. The answer was so unexpected and outrageous they couldn't muster a response. Pat stepped forward, shaking his head.

"Now that isn't helping," he said. "You can't just say they shouldn't get close with someone. It's only natural for kids their age to make friends."

"It might hurt but it's the truth." Tega drawled. "Making connections brings pain. These two would've been better off if they didn't know the clubtail."

"How can you say that, Tega?" Ducky asked. "We could not not know him. When you meet someone a lot, you cannot help being friends with them, no you cannot."

"Then you shouldn't have kept meeting him. Just walk on by, like he's a part of the scenery."

"We could not do that." Ducky said, aghast. "You cannot just ignore someone who says hello or wants to talk. It would have hurt him to be treated like that."

"But if you hadn't engaged with him, you wouldn't be in the hurt you're in now. It'd be better if you don't engage with people anyway. Then you wouldn't have to deal with this pain."

"That sounds like a cold existence." Skip stepped forward. "Tega. I think a heard a bit about you when I settled in the valley. Not much of it good but, hey, I know from the Mysterious Beyond how rumors can spread. Um, anyway, I disagree with your assessment. Cutting yourself from others isn't a fun way to live. Bonds with others might bring pain but they also bring happiness. You get to care about someone to such an extent you would risk your lives for each other. It's one of the things that makes life good."

Tega snorted. "Huh, I thought you would be on my side. From what I hear, weren't you determined to survive on your own in the Mysterious Beyond? You might have helped some people but how many did you not save, either because it was a risk to yourself or because you didn't care?"

"That's – I – um…" Skip stammered. He could only look away uncertainly.

"See, I'm not the only one who values the single life." Tega said, spitting out another piece of grass.

"Now Tega, that's not what Skip believes." Pat said. "He values being with people now. Most of us do."

"Really. That's funny, coming from you. Don't you keep to yourself?"

"I just don't want to intrude onto anyone."

"Still, that means you get to be alone a lot. Even if it's to be nice, some part of you must be glad when some drama starts and you aren't a part of it."

Pat opened his mouth but frowned, a bit discomforted. Ducky stepped forward.

"Hey, do not bully Pat and Skip," she said. "They are not like what you say. They are nice. They even tried to make me feel better about Mr. Clubtail."

"Oh really." Tega glanced at her "Did it work?"

"Um." Ducky looked away. "They meant well, but the moving on talk only upsetted me and-"

"So that crying was from an attempt at comfort?" Tega looked at Pat and Skip. "Wow, you suck at this."

Was that disgust in her voice? Skip and Pat had the grace to look sheepish.

"Whatever they say, they are as selective about who they care about as anyone else." Tega continued. "If you treated Mr. Clubtail like a stranger, you wouldn't be suffering now. You might have been sad but would have otherwise shrugged and move on."

"But treating Mr. Clubtail like a stranger – that, that is selfish." Ducky said. "I could never do something so mean."

Tega chuckled. "There's no one around who isn't selfish. Do you think you're nice to others just out of the goodness of your heart?" More quietly, she added. "Being to yourself isn't so bad. You could've been happier that way. It makes things easier when people die in the end."

Tega turned and began to walk away. Ducky and Spike stared. There was something odd about Tega's last few sentences. It was…almost comforting. Spike didn't know what to make of it. He didn't object to Ducky walking tentatively forward and calling out.

"Wait!"

Tega stopped. A few seconds passed before she looked back with a widened eye.

"Not everyone is selfish." Ducky continued. "There are lots of nice people. What makes you think they are not?"

"Observation and common sense." Tega answered. "It might take a bit of time to explain. You mightn't be interested."

"But me and Spike will listen. Um…at least I want to. Spike?"

The last word was said as Ducky turned to Spike uncertainly. He froze, considering the matter. He wasn't fond of Tega. Her casual indifference held an edge that rubbed him the wrong way. But what she said about avoiding pain and drama…it stirred something in him. Even if he couldn't quite approve of Tega's words, he did want to listen so he could make a judgement of them. Spike nodded to Ducky, who brightened a bit. Sharing a similar expression of surprise with Skip, Pat gave the siblings an uncertain look.

"Kids, you don't have to do this," he said. "You don't need to humor someone with such grim views."

"We are not doing this for humoring." Ducky said. "We might not agree with everything she said but we are interested in what she has to say, we are, we are. We, um, hope she will be interested in what we have to say too."

As four pairs of eyes turned to her, Tega's gaze wavered and she sighed. "I guess that would be the…fair thing to do. At least I'll talk your ear off first before you do the same to me."

"Great. But we cannot stay here. Me and Spike need to go back to our family. Mama would be worried about us."

"So we'll be talking near a big and loud swimmer family. Wonderful." Tega turned her head to spit out a third piece of grass. "You do remember she's not my biggest fan, right?"

"Oh, right." Ducky said sheepishly. "Well, we will explain you did not hurt us and just want to talk. I am sure she will understand."

"She better, or you might not be hearing from me soon."

"Um, I guess that means you will be escorting Ducky and Spike to their family." Skip said hesitantly. "Do you two still need us around?"

Ducky shook her head. "You do not have to if you do not want to. Go back to what you were doing before. Me and Spike will be fine."

"You will keep an eye you these two, right Tega?" Pat gave a stern glance. "If any danger comes around, you will protect them? Not run off and leave them alone?"

Tega sighed. "These two look small enough that I can grab them and run. Besides, it'd be annoying to be haggled by everyone if something happened to them."

That wasn't the vote of confidence Pat and Skip were looking for, but they seemed resigned to settle with it.

"Well Ducky, Spike, it's been nice seeing ya. Watch out for yourselves." Pat said.

Skip nodded. "I wish we got together under better circumstances. Keep on your toes."

"Bye, Skip, Pat." Ducky waved. "Do not make yourselves strangers. We like being with you."

Spike bayed in agreement, making his eyes soulful to show he would like to see them soon. Pat and Skip smiled slightly, touched, before they departed. Spike and Ducky could still see the pair glancing back at them but the siblings' eyes were on Tega now. Tega bit down another piece of long grass, chewing as she watched them dully.

"Alright, let's get this over with. Where's your home again?"

Ducky waved. "Follow us. We know where to go."

With that, Ducky and Spike continued on their way with their third companion. Spike glanced at his sister. Ducky wore a look of concentration. It appeared Tega's words had stirred something in her and she was using them to channel her grief someplace where she could be steady. Spike wasn't a mind reader but they spent enough time together he could make a good guess to her thoughts.

Today proved enough there were people who could do terrible things. But if Ducky could prove to Tega things weren't that bad, that there were good and selfless individuals in the world, maybe something positive could come out of this. Spike didn't know if this was going to work, but if there was a chance this could get her bubbly smile back, he was determined to support her the whole way.

 **Next time…**

 **Part 2…of 3**

* * *

 **Note:** Sorry for the long delay. School got in the way, and as I said, I wanted to write ahead enough to make sure certain things lined up. Hopefully, I can have the next three parts posted each Sunday in the remaining three weeks.

 **6/27 Note:** So yeah, this four part bonanza became three. See next chapter's end note for details.


	11. Seeking Sanctuary Part 2

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 11: Seeking Sanctuary Part 2**

Cera and Chomper looked around nervously as they followed Verter into an area they never thought they would be in. The grass beneath their feet gave way to tough, cracked earth, too hard for more than little clumps of grass to grow. The land was rough but mostly even with only a handful of rocks dotted here and there. Not all the cracks and craters around were naturally developed by time. Many showed signs that a limb or body had been thrown there. Cera and Chomper wouldn't have found this place very remarkable, as it looked like many bare areas in the Great Valley and especially the Mysterious Beyond, except for the yells and smacks of dinosaurs exchanging blows.

"So, here we are." Verter said. "What do you think?"

Cera and Chomper stared. In front of them, three pairs of dinosaurs were engaged in combat. Two flyers swept above, wavering and nearly falling out of the air as they struck at one another with clumsy beaks and talons. Two domeheads exchanged fists and knocked heads, dodging and blocking blows with a swiftness that was almost like a dance. But it was two the squareshields that were the most vicious. Their horns clanked and clashed with great enmity, scratches indicating where a blow managed to slip through. Cera and Chomper made sure to stick close to Verter, wondering what they were doing here.

This was one the few designated battle grounds in the Great Valley. With so many different kinds of dinosaurs living in one place, with so many different ways, it was agreed that most disputes should be settled only with words. Granted, some verbal exchanges could get heated, even elevate to shouting, but most people restrained from flinging themselves at each other and those who almost did were stopped before they did anything violent.

But there were still dinosaurs who saw fighting as the only solution. For them, that was where the battle grounds came in. Here dinosaurs could let loose until they worked out whatever grudge they had, the only limits being not to inflict any serious or mortal injuries on one another. They also made convenient sparring grounds, ones children and some smaller dinosaurs were forbidden from entering. Occasionally, Cera and her friends paused to watch the fights. Cera would sometimes grumble and think she was ready for that action. Now, though…

"In over our heads." Chomper admitted. "Can we really go at it like these guys?"

Cera was glad that Chomper spoke the thoughts going through her head. These six moved with many cold times of experience. Despite her many adventures, she felt like a hatchling in comparison to what was in front of them.

"Not right away." Verter looked back and smiled reassuringly. "But all it takes is one well-aimed strike to take even the strongest opponent down. I'll be doing my best to sharpen those skills."

Cera sighed. "Looks like we have a lot of hard work ahead of us."

"Oh, don't make it sound like a chore," he said. "Training might be hard work but it can be fun. These people wouldn't be doing it if they didn't find it rewarding."

On cue, one domehead grabbed her opponent, thrust her up, and slammed her into the ground. The tossed domehead gasped, the victor pinning her down. For a moment, burning eyes met each other, bodies thrumming with passion. Then to Cera and Chomper's surprise, goofy grins split across the domeheads' faces. The victor pulled her opponent to her feet, and they exchanged backslaps and head-butts. Breathless, covered with sweat and light bruises, they laughed. Seeing the happiness they gained from the extreme bout made Cera and Chomper smile.

"Well, I guess it can't be that bad." Cera admitted.

"It'll be more than not bad." Verter said. "This will be wonderful for you kids."

The two domeheads appeared to have heard him. Turning, they gazed curiously at Verter and his charges.

"Oh, it's that threehorn girl and her sharptooth friend." The victor domehead said. "What are they doing here?"

"I'm training them." Verter said. "They need to learn how to protect themselves, since there's been a murder in the valley."

The area went quiet. The dueling flyers froze mid-strike and moved to land while even the aggressive squareshields withdrew their horns from each other to look around.

"What?" The defeated domehead said, staring. "Are you serious?"

Verter nodded. "The one killed was a certain Mr. Clubtail, I don't think I caught his actual name. He was pushed from a high place and was dragged to a sweet bubble patch to make it look like an accident. The killer's still at large."

The six fighters stared at Verter, wide-eyed.

"Damn – erm, darn!" One of the flyers said, glancing at Cera and Chomper. "This just happened? I – I need to check on my family!"

"Yeah." A squareshield nodded faintly. "I guess this means it's no time to be fighting."

But the flyers already glanced at each other and took off, enmity forgotten. The squareshields walked away side-by-side, glancing at one another as though they still wanted to go at it.

"After we check on our herd, we should volunteer to patrol." The victor domehead way saying, earning a nod. She glanced at Verter's charges. "You'll train these two? That's kind of dubious. What can kids do against something that killed a clubtail?"

"Ah, but your recognition of them means you know of their reputation as adventurers and sharptooth combaters." Verter said. "They're more competent than they look. Don't worry, I'll train them in an age appropriate manner."

Cera defiantly glared and even Chomper hastily tried to look serious. The domeheads hesitated but in front of Verter's confident expression, they sighed and turned to leave.

"What is this valley coming to?" The defeated domehead muttered, shaking her head.

Cera and Chomper attempted to ignore them. The two trainees surveyed the landscape for where to start, but Verter's gaze was on the departing domeheads.

"They sounded very concerned for you, for domeheads," he observed.

"I guess." Cera shrugged. "I was wary of them too, since some attacked me on the way to the valley, but here they're pretty okay. In the valley, you just got to live and let live with the other kinds."

"Mmm." Verter shook himself. "Right, training! This way!"

He led them into the fighting grounds, toward a collection of rocks near the Great Wall that ranged from small spherical stones to giant boulders. Some appeared to have grown there while others have rolled or fallen from the Great Wall.

"We'll begin here." Verter waved them over. "Go over to two you-sized rocks and practice breaking them down. Cera, you know the threehorns routine. Chomper, strike at the rock with your muzzle, hands, feet, and tail. Time it with her. Don't go all out, I just want to familiarize myself with what sharpteeth are capable of."

"That should be easy enough for me to handle." Cera said. She glanced at Chomper. "Can you keep up?"

He straightened and almost glared. "Yes! I can do this."

They walked over to the rocks. Cera went for a jumbled one half her size while Chomper made a beeline for one only a bit larger than himself. After they took positions, Verter nodded. Gathering up nerve, the pair scraped their feet on the ground and charged at the rocks. Chomper struck his with his muzzle and stumbled back, a bit stunned. Cera's horn rammed into her rock and a few cracks radiated out. Recovering for a second, the pair backed up and attacked the rocks again, and again. The effort forced them to concentrate on how hard to hit their targets while making sure not to hurt themselves. All the while, Verter watched them, smiling and nodding as though calculating their strengths and seeing potentials for improvement.

Cera was glad for the activity. It was repetitive but she was used to it and it gave her something to concentrate on that wasn't the guilt thrumming in her chest. All the mind power that wasn't focused on the act of attacking her target was filled with triumph or annoyance at the results and thoughts about how to inflict more damage the next go-around. Still, a few thoughts about this morning slipped through.

*It wasn't a big deal. Others must have said far more annoying things. He wouldn't have cared what a snarky kid like me said…right?*

Crash.

She didn't know. Cera only talked with Mr. Clubtail a handful of times. She hadn't known him like she knew Littlefoot and her other friends. Heck, she knew Ruby and Chomper better than Mr. Clubtail, and they were more recent additions to the valley. Mr. Clubtail had mostly been a neighbor, sometimes pleasant, sometimes irritating, but not someone she had ever been close to. For all she knew, he might have taken her comments personally…

Crash!

He was gone. Even if her comments did have an effect, she couldn't help him. She just had to accept she would never see him again and move on like she did with…

Crash! Crash!

*Stop! Stop thinking about them! I should be done with this, so why – why can't I – ?*

"Cera? Cera, stop, you'll hurt yourself!"

Blinking, Cera woke up to her surroundings. Backing up, she found half of her rock had cracked and crumbled, the pieces pebbled around the ground. As she gazed at the damage, she winced, more than a few cuts twinging to attention. Chomper and Verter stared with concern.

"Are you okay?" Chomper asked.

"I'm – I'm fine." Cera had a hard time making eye contact. "Just got caught up in the moment, that's all."

"Try not to do that." Verter said. "You tend to be less aware of yourself when cooped up in your thoughts, so you might hurt yourself more than you think."

"R-right."

Cera resumed ramming her rock at a slower and more careful pace. Chomper attempted to match her, ravaging the rock with claws and a tail slam this time, but he found his gaze kept drifting to her. She was taking Mr. Clubtail's death hard, he thought. Her outburst after the news was more than a momentary flare of grief. This was clearly eating at her. Chomper felt a surge of sympathy. He didn't know Mr. Clubtail for long but to hear he might have died alone tore him up as well.

Though even in her state, Cera was doing well in the training. Rubbing his chest, Chomper watched her reduce her rock to a third its size, various-shaped pieces spraying out after each other. He had been able to dislodge a few pebbles and put some cracks in his rock but compared to hers, it was clear who had the greater strength here. Chomper had attacked some larger dinosaurs with his bite, but all he could do at best was provide a brief distraction. Cera probably wouldn't take down any large dinosaurs but at least her horn could do more damage, maybe even hobble an opponent. She would be more useful. For a moment, a flash of anger made him charge and slam his rock with more force. He was so small, why couldn't he be helpful like her?

"Chomper, calm down."

Chomper started and stepped back. Verter's eyes were serious.

"Be careful with that anger." Verter continued. "If you must have it, make sure its focused on the target."

Chomper looked around. Cera was looking at him, wary with concern. He gulped.

"R-right," he said.

He hit the rock again but with much less anger. He saw Verter watching him closely and kept his hits more measured accordingly. He tried to keep himself focused so his attention wouldn't stray to Cera and whatever anger that remained wouldn't stray from the rock but he wasn't sure how successful he was. Verter eventually called for a break.

"Let's see what you've done."

The pair stepped back for Verter to examine what remained of their rocks. Cera's was nothing more than a memory, a scattered pile of pebbles and pieces. Chomper had several loose bits dislodged and cracks entered but otherwise remained solid. Chomper schooled his emotions to neutral.

"Not bad, not bad." Verter hummed. "There does need to be improvement on how you two angle yourselves so you could crush the rocks more quickly. Don't worry, I'll teach you how. For now, let's get to exercises."

"Exercises?" Cera repeated. "We get plenty of exercise. Our group runs around and plays all the time."

"As I've deduced. But I'm talking about different kind of exercise. Stretches, jogging, climbing…those will get your muscles used to doing greater work. First, stretches."

Soon Cera and Chomper found themselves doing such, pulling their limbs out, leaning to the side, and cranking back in particular ways that Verter carefully instructed. Already Chomper could feel the strain as his muscles were pulled into positions they never reached before. He kept his breaths even but Cera was growling under her breath from the exertion. Occasionally, Verter looked around as he spoke, but his focus always returned to them, often to Chomper in particular.

*Great.* Chomper thought. *So I'm a threat to my friends too.*

He wrestled with the guilt and annoyance in his chest. He had heard Verter's comments to the crowd about his "unique needs," and they reawakened his anxieties. Chomper had often worried about what might happen if he lost control of his sharptooth instincts with his friends. He committed completely to a diet of bugs and snapping shells and pushed away thoughts about how tasty the leaf eaters looked. Even when menaced by suspicious leaf eaters or threatening sharpteeth, he refused to bite in self-defense. For the most part, he succeeded. Chomper only looked at the valley residents as friends and neighbors now and it hardly occurred to him to find them delectable.

But for the next many days, he would be learning to fight, imagining how he could hurt and take down an opponent. All those buried instincts would resurface. If he wasn't careful, he might not be able to hold the same control again. Chomper hated this. He wanted to protect his friends, but in order to gain the ability to do so, he would likely have to reawaken instincts that could very well get them hurt. It could add another challenge to his long term stay in the Great Valley.

*Would I be dealing with this if I only had sharptooth friends? Our kind do like to get into fights. Maybe if I was with my parents, they would be teaching me how to get along with others…*

The thought of parents made Chomper aware of a scent that had been lingering in the air for some time. Blinking, he continued his stretches but glanced to the side where the scent originated. Standing in the shadows of the distant treeline was Mr. Threehorn. His expression was neutral but there was a fatherly watchfulness to him. It appeared he wanted to make sure the training was going smoothly.

Acting casual, aware of when Verter's attention strayed, Chomper flicked his eyes to Cera until he got her attention. He glanced significantly in Mr. Threehorn's direction. She looked confused but he repeated the eye motion until she cottoned on. Her gaze followed where he indicated and she saw her father. She stood straighter and did her stretches more methodically, looking nervously at Mr. Threehorn. A smile flickered in, indicating she needn't mind him and continue on as normal. Cera continued the stretches, energized by the encouragement in her father's expression.

For a while. Mr. Threehorn watched Verter encourage and instruct Cera and Chomper in their stretches. Though the pair appeared somewhat tired, they did their best to keep up. Once Mr. Threehorn seemed sure they were being well taken care of, he gave a supportive nod and walked off. Cera found herself in better spirits. At least her father appeared proud of what they were doing.

There was a crack at their feet, and Cera and Chomper yelped. They looked around wildly only to realize it had been Verter, flicking a vine with his teeth.

"Good to keep you on your toes," he chuckled. "Now, let's get running. Laps around the area. Scoot."

Meanwhile, Tria sat at a distance, watching Tricia wrestle with Dinah and Dana. Somehow, Tricia had overpowered the rough-and-tumble twins, batting away their squirming attempts to get back on top. From their squeals, it sounded like they were having the time of their lives. Tria smiled. Near the toddlers, Dinah and Dana's parents looked up briefly to exchange similar expressions with her. At least there was some joy happening on this terrible day.

The sound of footsteps became apparent and Tria turned to find Mr. Threehorn approaching, thoughtful.

"How did it go?" she asked.

Mr. Threehorn sat beside her. "Don't worry. Verter's not making Cera and Chomper do any more than they have to. In fact, when Cera started hitting a rock a bit too hard during a rock breaking test, Verter ordered her to stop. Those two are in safe paws."

Tria sighed. "I'm still not happy about this."

"I know. But as much as I hate to admit it, Verter's right – we can't watch over Cera and her friends forever. They're bound to slip off sooner or later. Even when we stepped to the task against that sharptooth, they had to save us. If there's a way we can make sure they come back alive from whatever they get involved in, we should take it."

Tria looked away. "I suppose we haven't been doing a good job at protecting them. Still, I'm scared. Cera doesn't always know her limits and Chomper's so young. If they get hurt, the injuries might stay with them for the rest of their lives."

He frowned. "You seem very concerned about what happens to Chomper."

"Well, of course I am," she said. "He's Cera's friend. I'd be worried about any of them"

"He's also a sharptooth. Verter's right, he should be trained while we he still isn't a threat to the children."

"Not this again." Tria said with exasperation. "Chomper has been so nice with the others kids. How can you be saying this?"

"I'm saying this because I'm realistic." Mr. Threehorn said. He sighed. "Chomper has a good heart. I can see that. But he's still a sharptooth. A good heart can only do so much before he needs to address his diet. Even with the risks, we need to find a way to control him. I'm sure even he would agree with me. He wouldn't want to hurt his friends – it would hurt his kind nature too much to turn against-" he sighed with frustration. "I wish we didn't have to deal with this. Knowing sharpteeth have complex inner lives isn't going to be of any help if they're menacing us. Sometimes I wish he and Ruby could have solved their problems among their own kind, then we wouldn't be in this situation."

Silence. Tria shuffled, almost guilty.

"I do see a point with your frustrations," she admitted. "But for whatever the problems, I'm glad to know Chomper. Besides, we can't change the past anyway."

"True." Mr. Threehorn sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I did point out to Verter how Chomper's parents might react if their son got injured in this training. I'm sure he'll be careful."

Tria frowned. "Wait…I don't remember you mentioning Chomper's parents to him."

"I talked about them last night. He came around while I was having trouble sleeping and we chatted."

"You didn't tell me about this."

"I turned him down." Mr. Threehorn said defensively. "I used the same logic you did. I would have told you at some point but Mr. Clubtail drove it clean from my mind."

Tria shook her head. "I can't believe this. Still, I understand. Mr. Clubtail's death has thrown us all off our feet." She paused. "Why did he come around when the herd leader gave a curfew?"

"Oh, you know him. He's rarely concerned about breaking the rules. We talked about some of my recent worries – that's all."

"Your worries…so he didn't talk about himself."

"Well, no." Mr. Threehorn said, confused. "Most of his comments were about me and the kids. What are you getting at?"

"Topsy," Tria said hesitantly, "I don't mean to accuse Verter of anything, but…it sounds like he was trying to find a way to pressure you into giving permission to train Cera and Chomper."

"What?" Mr. Threehorn shook his head. "No, no. He might get up to mischief but you knew him. He isn't that kind of person."

"I'm not so sure. I do remember him being very good with his words. With how he was talking this morning, it was like he was rushing us to agree."

"Listen to yourself." Mr. Threehorn said shortly. "Do you think this is some sort of conspiracy? What nefarious purpose would he have for training those two?"

"I – I don't know." Tria lowered her head uncertainly. "I just think…didn't how he push us kind of bother you?"

Narrowing his eyes, Mr. Threehorn opened his mouth but paused in thought. Looking uncomfortable, it took several seconds for him to respond.

"He might be doing this because he's worried about us," he said. "When you want to help those you love, sometimes you have to do questionable things to get them to cooperate. To make sure the kids would be safe, he had to push us to have Cera and Chomper trained."

"Y-yeah. That does sound like something he would do." Tria said slowly. Looking back, Verter did use his word play to push others in positive directions. He almost never seemed to think about those actions, but many valued him for it. There were times Verter played people for his own ends but…what other reasons would he have for wanting to train Cera and Chomper? In the end, maybe Verter did pressure them out of genuine concern. Tria knew plenty of difficult people (one of whom, she was guilty to admit, was her own husband) and most of the time they were only trying to accomplish what they considered was the greater good. It made sense. Besides, she shouldn't let her paranoia drive away a friend whose good humor could give the family some relief in this crises. Seeing her relax, Mr. Threehorn smiled.

"See, nothing to worry about," he said. "Tria, what is this about? You aren't normally this suspicious of anyone."

"I don't know," she sighed. "I guess I am overthinking things. Maybe it's what you said earlier. We can't do anything to prevent Cera and her friends from wandering off, or protect them from any threats. I was barely able to slow that sharptooth down. I just feel a bit useless. As a mother, I should be able to protest my children. I thought the training you gave me would help but…I guess someone who couldn't pass the regiment can't just play catch up now."

"What? No, Tria…you're not..." Mr. Threehorn said, distressed by her self-criticism. "What are you talking about?"

"It's what Verter said. He probably didn't mean anything by it, but he talked about Cera and Chomper passing in a way that made me think about my failures with the Threehorn Ascension. You know I gave up on it early when we were young. The regiments were so difficult. I tried to stick with them but I thought it wasn't for me. After joining the family, I thought I could just pick up where I left off but," she lowered her head, "I guess that was arrogant of me. I can never be as strong as you."

"Oh, Tria." Mr. Threehorn stepped closer. "Don't think you're useless. You're so helpful in taking care of the girls and dealing with our family challenges. And as for being strong…much as I hate to admit it I was thrown around as much as you were with that sharptooth. We can get better, we just need to train more. Even with your late start, you improved so much when we made time for threehorn practice. If given more time, I'm sure you'll become even better."

"You think so?" Tria said, raising her head. "I'm not as spry as I used to be. It's harder to learn things when you're older."

"Hey, you adapted to being a wife and mother quickly enough. Improving our fighting skills will only take a bit more time. I know we've kind of slacked off lately, with parenting and other matters, but we could resume those lessons anytime."

Tria hesitated. "If – if it wouldn't be too much of a demand on you."

"Hey, I still have some energy in these old bones. I'd be more than happy to." Mr. Threehorn nuzzled her. "We'll get through this, Tria. Sooner or later, we'll figure out where these ghosts are coming from and find a way to deal with them. Then the valley will return to normal. Cera and her friends will be safe. I swear it."

A smile flicking in, Tria nuzzled him back. She wanted to believe he was right. That was what she liked about him, his sure confidence when attempting to protect those he loved. She came to know he wasn't always right and it could be frustrating instead of assuring but he did so much to help the family. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Currently, they settled in and watched Tricia have fun with her cousins, discussing the particulars of future training.

Littlefoot accompanied his grandparents through the valley, eyes lowered. He had become too deadened to shed anymore tears. The death of a dear valley member was more than he could take, so all thought shut down. All he could do now was put one foot in front of the other. He was just going through the motions, hoping, beseeching for this day to end.

Then a walk up a slight incline forced Littlefoot to raise his gaze. From his position between his grandparents' forefeet, he glimpsed forlorn expressions. There was regret in their eyes. Suddenly, he realized they hadn't said much since his outburst back near Mr. Clubtail's body. He thought he heard them talk to two people but he barely noticed. He supposed they were only trying to give him space but he was starting to realize it was more than that. Somewhere among the numbness, a sliver of icy guilt settled in, small but sharp.

"There you longnecks are."

The spikethumb leader marched toward them, expression grim.

"I've heard what happened this morning," she continued. "We need to talk."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck glanced at their grandson.

"Littlefoot, may you stand over there while we speak with the herd leader?" Grandpa Longneck asked. "This might be…difficult."

Littlefoot hesitated, took one look at the spikethumb leader's face, and decided discretion was the better part of valor. Quickly, he walked a fair distance until he stood under a pennation tree, where his grandparents could see him clearly. By the time he turned back, the spikethumb leader was whispering fiercely to them. From his grandparents' expressions, she hadn't come by for a friendly chat. Though they kept their voices quiet, Littlefoot managed to catch a few bits of the exchange.

"…told us it would be safe." The spikethumb leader said.

"We aren't even sure this is a murder." Grandpa Longneck said. "The body is too battered to tell."

"This is a rumor that is spreading wildly." Grandma Longneck said. "We are frustrated with this too. People should be more careful about what they say."

"Then why aren't you doing more to stem the rumors?" The spikethumb leader snapped. "I need to know if my herd is in danger, and since it's hard to sort fact from story, they're starting to panic…"

She continued on quietly, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck attempting to appear reassuring and contrite. The sliver of icy guilt in bloomed in Littlefoot's chest. He closed his eyes, but he couldn't block out their voices.

*They were only trying to help me,* he thought. *Why did I snap like that?*

He thought he knew why. For the last couple of days, he was confronted by death wherever he looked – there was the dream about his grandparents, the murder attempts by Ichy and Dil and the sharptooth ghost, the emotional fallout over the many ghost revelations, and his conversation with his grandparents two days back. Any of those events would be stressful enough on their own, but after happening back-to-back, sometimes with more than one happening in a single day, it was more than Littlefoot could take. These past few days had made him cognizant of everyone's mortality. At any moment, someone could die, randomly and without reason, and those left behind had little choice but pick up the pieces. No one had any idea of the time they had left – Ichy, Hyp's mother, and Cera's mother and sisters demonstrated that. Littlefoot had only watched this pain from the sidelines, but Mr. Clubtail's death reopened those feelings of personal loss and it made him realize…

*My friends, my family…we've been so lucky since Mother's death. We helped save so many people. But we can't save everyone. Even if this killer is caught, there are so many dangers out there. How much time will pass before – before -*

That was the crux of Littlefoot's issue. He felt powerless to do anything about death. He helped avert it for many individuals, but that was only delaying the inevitable. Sooner or later, Littlefoot's efforts would fall short or he just wouldn't be present when a crises happened, and someone he treasured would be lost. Even if no other dangers wracked the valley again, he would still have to watch his loved ones age and pass one by one. Was this what he had to look forward to? Those he loved leaving him, sometimes without any misunderstandings cleared, or even a goodbye? He didn't want that. How could anyone live with that? But what could he do?

Then his grandparents mentioned the circle of life and all that despair turned to fury. All of the suffering and death was because of how that concept arranged the world. Why should he have any warm feelings toward it? With how distraught he was, it was only understandable when his grandparents tried to point out the positives of the circle, he lashed out.

*Sometimes, I really hate how accepting they are of terrible things. I want that to change…but I don't want to make them miserable. I mean – what if something bad happens to them?*

Littlefoot shivered. The concept of his grandparents being murdered, taken away like Mr. Clubtail had been, was almost too much for him to take. He thought the talk with his grandparents two days back helped him prepare for what was to come but now…suddenly, he wanted more time with his grandparents, to play and smile and be with them in all the ways he could think of. It was hard enough to accept his mother was gone but to face a future without their gentle presence… he didn't want it.

Littlefoot hated this, didn't think he could ever accept the circle of life, but he didn't wish to fight with his grandparents over it. If this was the reality, he wanted them to be happy but he couldn't think he could ever keep quiet if they spoke approvingly of it. Littlefoot felt like he was in a bind. He either had to accept he would lose his grandparents to the sands of time or have them lose their happiness to his discontent. Neither option was tenable but what else was there?

*Mother, can you hear me? I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose anybody but I don't want to hurt my grandparents either. Can I fix this? Mother, are you there? Please, I need help. Mother…*

"Littlefoot, is that you?"

Littlefoot started. Opening his eyes, he looked to his right and found Patty gazing at him uncertainly. He had been leaning against the tree, head bowed in distress. Hastily, he got to his feet.

"Oh, Patty," he said. "I was just resting. Today has been grueling. What are you up to?"

"I've been walking around." Patty swept her gaze about. "The Great Valley is beautiful. I can see why the people here have defended it so passionately."

"Yeah." Littlefoot also looked around. "There's usually enough green food to go around. Everyone can get along. It's beautiful. It's become home."

"That's good," she said. "After everything you've been through, you deserve to have a home like this."

He smiled. She was right. After all the danger and terror that could encompass his life, it was nice to always have a home to go back to. Everyone should have a home like this. His stomach growled.

Patty's lips twitched. "It looks like you haven't had your morning meal."

Littlefoot blushed. She only tilted her head invitingly and led him to a tall tree with crisp and dark-toned leaves, detaching several and laying them at his feet. He scanned them with delight.

"Thanks. I'm starving." Littlefoot lowered his head and chomped down, shutting his eyes at the delicious taste spreading across his tongue. He was about to take another bite but looked up. "Aren't you going to have any?"

"Don't worry, Littlefoot." Patty said. "I already had my fill. Take all you need."

Without further distraction, he bit down another mouthful of leaves. He felt himself ease as he ate. Now he partly saw why Spike liked to inhale so much green food. It was soothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Patty watch him with interest.

"You really are going at it," she said. "Why did you wait so long to eat anyway?"

Littlefoot gulped down his latest. "Me and my grandparents were going to get green food from the watering hole but then…we got distracted by a crowd. They were looking at Mr. Clubtail. He's…gone."

Patty's expression turned sad. "I'm sorry to hear that. Was he that clubtail near you when your grandparents greeted the herd?"

"Yes. He was kind a grouch but he could be nice and…"

Littlefoot's eyes stung. He lowered down to eat more of the leaves but his throat was dry and he had to blink to clear his sight. Maybe he should have given Mr. Clubtail a present at some point. Some sweet bubbles or the higher treestars. For no other reason than to be nice. Mr. Clubtail could have been reminded that though some were annoyed by him, he was still liked anyway. But his death made those thoughts irrelevant. Littlefoot would never speak to him again.

Patty blew out a breath. "It seems we can't escape death even in this valley. Wherever we go, it always follows, robbing us of those we care about on the greatest of whims."

"It's scary how the grownups accept it." Littlefoot said. "They're sad, they want to know what happened, but they sigh and say it's part of the circle of life. I don't like to think I'd one day be like that."

"The circle of life is an idea used to help cope with the cruelty of the world," she said. "The thought you're part of some greater design, where even if something terrible happens, you might end up somewhere happy…it makes you feel like there's a purpose to life."

"My grandparents believe it," he said quietly.

"Believing it doesn't make them bad people." Patty replied. "Though it sounds like you believed it yourself until recently."

"I just kind of accepted it." Littlefoot looked down. "I didn't entirely like the circle of life but I just nodded along whenever someone mentioned it. But during times like this…I really don't like it."

"When you feel powerless, it's only natural to dislike the thing you feel is robbing you of power," she said.

"Yeah," he said. "I wonder if Mother would be okay with me being angry about it. My grandparents believed in the circle of life, so I wonder if they taught it to her. I can't remember her saying anything about it."

"I'm sure she would understand." Patty said. "We all do things out of grief we don't mean to. Though I can relate to your worries. Sometimes, I wonder if my mom approves of what I've been doing…"

She lowered her head. Her gaze was so downcast that Littlefoot couldn't help stepping forward.

"No matter what you did, I'm sure she still loves you," he said. "You're helping me right now. I'm sure she'd be proud of that."

"I guess." Patty sighed. "Sorry. It has been so long since I spoke to her that I really begin to question what she was really like."

"That's okay. Sometimes I go through that too." Littlefoot became thoughtful. "Maybe we can talk about her. Doing that with my grandparents and dad helps keep my memories of Mother fresh. Erm, that is, if you want to. I know this might be painful…"

"It's okay. I like talking about her," she smiled faintly. "She was…very kind. If I had a worry, she'd always have something soothing to say. Since Dad left before my birth, we had to rely on each other to survive. She would teach me how to talk with people in the herds we joined. If I like someone, I can get along with them fine but if they rub me the wrong way, I can't help giving them the cold shoulder. That always annoyed her and she'd tried to get me to be polite. As you probably saw with that threehorn yesterday, it hasn't been a success."

Littlefoot chuckled. "We all noticed. Though I didn't see why, he seemed nice enough."

"People aren't always as they seem." Patty said. "Back to more pleasant people – Mom often told me to keep my less-than-friendly opinions to myself. I didn't see why – if you didn't get along with someone, you shouldn't pretend otherwise. But I got better for her. She was my only friend in those travels, so I often checked on her health. She sometimes teased that she should be the one making a fuss over me but I think she liked it. We were so happy. I thought we would be together for many cold times to come."

Patty fell into a long silence. Littlefoot stepped closer.

"Then the sharptooth came," he said quietly.

She nodded faintly. "We've seen sharpteeth before, at a distance. We always managed to avoid them. But that time, one hid itself better. One second, we were walking in a canyon, with no sign of anyone around. The next, I heard a roar and a sailback sharptooth charged us from behind. I barely escaped getting my back bit off. My mother charged in to defend me. She whipped her tail with all her fury against the sailback. It was amazing. I had never seen her fight so hard.

"She kept the sailback at bay but it was in no mood to be driven back. I tried to go in and help but Mom said to stay back. The sailback claws started getting past her tail. There were scratches all over her neck and front. Despite her efforts, she was getting tired. She kept glancing around to make sure I didn't get involved, since I kept trying to find a way to jump in. The sailback took advantage of this. On one of her looks, I saw it crouch and lash out with its mouth. Then…"

Patty's voice wavered. Littlefoot didn't need her to finish the sentence. He could almost see those long jaws snap in, hear the heartrending scream of someone dealt an injury there was no recovery from.

"She only had the strength to tell me to run, to live," she continued. "I was so shocked at what I saw, I did run. Only when I found a cave far away did I realize what happened. I sneaked back as fast I dared. I tried to deny what I saw, but when I got there, it was night and…there wasn't much left of her. Only then did it sink in – Mom would never come back. She was gone. I was alone in the world.

"I wandered around in a daze for many days. It didn't occur to me to eat. I," she averted her gaze, "nearly lost my hope to live. But then I found a herd and started eating again. I tried to live on as she said. I clung to her memories as best I could, with each action trying to think of what she would say. But it's hard to get over the silence where her footsteps should be."

Patty gazed into the middle distance. Littlefoot stared up, looking for a positive effect, trying to think of something to say.

"From what I heard, it sounds like your mom wouldn't be mad at you," he said. "If anything, she would be proud of the progress you're making."

She stirred hopefully. "You think?"

Littlefoot nodded. "She sounds very nice. Even if you made mistakes, I'm sure she would forgive you. She's probably cheering you on from wherever she is. Though I get the struggle with the silence – it gets hard to remember what Mother sounded like. I wish it didn't have to be this way."

"Yes." Patty murmured. "Is Mom I hear in my head still her? Or a voice I made up? Is it natural in the circle of life for parents to leave before their time and to struggle to keep their memories in your head? Maybe we'll never know but if it is the circle of life…I despise it."

Patty gazed off, angry and sad…and alone. Alone for so long. Littlefoot felt a swell of emotion. He wanted to say things would get better, but he didn't know how much truth there was to that saying.

A few distant voices rose in, giving Littlefoot a guilty start. He turned to find the spikethumb leader gesticulating sharply at Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, who attempted to respond clearly, not standing with their usual assurance even when losing an argument. Littlefoot winced.

"I should have kept my mouth shut," he muttered.

"What do you mean? Were you smart with her?" Patty had stirred to look at the three as well. "Don't take it personally. She cares a lot about the herd, so when something goes wrong, she takes it out on the nearest authority figure."

"Oh no. It's more about…what I said to them. They were only trying to comfort me about Mr. Clubtail but when they talked about the circle of life," Littlefoot averted his gaze, "I yelled at them for making me get used to bad things. Now they can't deal with a simple argument."

"Oh." Patty's expression cleared. "Well, it's only natural for kids to snap under stress. It sounds like you've been under a lot of that with these ghosts."

"But I can't remember snapping at them like this before," he sighed. "These ghosts have been too weird for us to deal with. Everyone's tired. Still, things might've been better if I didn't have that stupid sleep story."

"Sleep story?"

"Several days back, I had a sleep story where I found my grandparents died in their sleep. I would have shrugged it off but it reminded me that my grandparents, well," Littlefoot lowered his head "they won't be around long. I try not to think about it but…it's been hard."

She listened sympathetically. "Do your grandparents know about this?"

"I told them two days ago. I didn't want to bother them but after the sharptooth ghost nearly killed them, I couldn't hide it any longer. I thought our talk settled it but then Mr. Clubtail happened and…" Littlefoot closed his eyes. "It's just…I'm tired of people dying on me. I don't like the circle of life but I don't want to always argue with them about it. What – what do I do?"

He shook his head, a few tears trickling down. Littlefoot wiped them embarrassedly, but Patty watched with no judgement. If anything, she appeared to be searching for something soothing to say.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she said. "It's a wonder you're as composed as you are now. I'm sure your grandparents don't blame you for snapping. Though there's one thing you could do that could help you make up with them."

Drying his face, Littlefoot looked up. "What's that?"

"Apologize, but agree to disagree."

He stared. "What? But it's because I disagreed with them that I hurt their feelings in the first place."

"And if you pretend the disagreement doesn't exist, it'll go away?" When there was no response, Patty continued. "Just make it clear that the circle of life is upsetting to you. Since none of you are going to change your minds about it anytime soon, just put it aside. It's normal for families to disagree – even Mom and I had to agree to disagree sometime to keep the peace. Your grandparents will go along with it. All they want is to make sure you're happy."

Littlefoot considered her proposal. With a killer on the loose, he didn't want to distract his grandparents. He didn't like fighting with them and debating the merits of the circle of life would only upset them all. If they could put it aside, they would be more at ease with one another. The more he thought about it, the more encouraged he felt. He began to smile.

"It sounds like a great idea," he said. "I think I'll try it. Thanks, Patty."

"No problem." Patty said. "As people with similar experiences, I thought I must do something to make life at least a bit easier for you."

Littlefoot nodded, then paused. What she said made him bow his head in thought. He looked at her speculatively, remembering what he observed about her.

"Do you like anyone in the herd, Patty?" he asked. "Anyone you consider a friend?"

"Um, no." Patty said. "I'm so busy traveling, going from herd to herd, that it's hard to maintain friendships." She seemed taken aback by the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was thinking." Littlefoot averted his gaze. "After I lost Mother and got separated from my grandparents, I met other kids who were also alone. We decided to travel to the valley together. We didn't get along at first and nearly broke up a few times but something about that experience kept us together. After we got to the valley, we've been inseparable ever since."

Patty widened an eye, charmed. "Where is this going?"

"I'm just saying, those shared experiences made us friends. And since we both lost our mothers to sharpteeth…maybe we can be friends too."

Patty blinked. "What? That's – I didn't see – but our ages are far apart. People with vastly different ages don't usually become friends."

"Age won't be a problem." Littlefoot chuckled. "Me and my friends have lots of old friends. Mr. Thicknose is among the oldest in the valley yet we hang out with him and consider him a friend."

"That's wonderful. But I've been wandering for so long – I might leave the valley with the herd soon."

"I've made friends with travelers too. Just because they're away doesn't mean they still aren't my friends. You need a friend, Patty, and I want to be it. Wherever you go, no matter how long you might be gone, we'll always be connected. Count on it."

For a second, Patty didn't know what to say. Her eyes looked Littlefoot up and down, taking in his bright posture. Then she smiled.

"Thank you. It…looks like I have a friend after all."

Littlefoot grinned. For the first time since this morning, he felt good about something in the world.

"So, uh," Patty looked away, and laughed. "Now that pact has been made, now what? Is there something you want to do?"

Littlefoot smiled. "Well, there is one thing I want to learn."

A few minutes later, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck watched the spikethumb leader stomp off. Sighing, they turned to check on Littlefoot. For a moment, they panicked when they didn't see him under the tree. But they soon caught light giggles in the air. Turning, they found Patty gently demonstrating how to swing her tail and have her rear feet jump over it. They were encouraged as Littlefoot watched her, laughing as the rumbles shook him.

"Well, it's good to see some smiling faces." Grandpa Longneck said.

Littlefoot was crouching as though on the verge of swinging his tail like her, but at his grandfather's voice, he looked up and hastily straightened. Patty turned and smiled as the grandparents approached.

"Hello, Patty." Grandma Longneck greeted. "It seems you've found yourself entertaining our grandson again."

"Don't worry, I approached him first." Patty said. "Littlefoot looked so sad leaning against that tree I couldn't not reach out. We've just decided to lighten the mood by learning my tail trick he's so interested in."

"You should lighten your moods by eating, Grandpa, Grandma." Littlefoot said. "C'mon, aren't you starving?"

Grandpa and Grandma started. For a moment, they stared at Littlefoot nervously. Then they registered his words and threw their heads back with laughter.

"Oh, that's right. We didn't eat this morning." Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "I – I can't believe we forgot something so basic."

"Then don't deny yourselves the bounty around you." Patty said. "Eat up."

Shaking their heads, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck stepped to the tree Patty got treestars for Littlefoot earlier and began to have a meal. As they ripped leaves away and swallowed, a light came back into their eyes and their movements were exhausted with relief. Littlefoot joined them, occasionally eating from some of the falling treestars. In between pauses to eat, they turned and addressed Patty.

"I hope you weren't too embarrassed with doing those tricks for Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck said.

"Don't worry, I've rarely cared about how others might perceive my games." Patty replied. "Even if it was embarrassing, it was worth it to make Littlefoot happy."

"Is that so?" Grandpa Longneck murmured, smiling around his next bite of leaves. "Then we thank you for going out of your way to make our grandson smile."

"There needs to be more smiles." Patty said. "I saw you talking with our herd leader. Sorry about her. She's the type who believes harsh times need harsh words to get things done."

"Oh, we can bear it." Grandpa Longneck replied, swallowing. "It is her right to be worried."

"Maybe she would not have taken the situation well no matter what we said but it would have been better if we confronted her with full bellies." Grandma Longneck said. "We haven't been on the top of our game. I mean, it took us a bit to remember to send escorts with Littlefoot's friends when there could be a killer on the loose."

"You just dealt with the death of a valley member." Patty said. "That would throw anybody off."

"That is true but still…" Grandpa Longneck sighed. "She was rather angry we didn't know if this was a murder or not. I admit, we're rather frustrated everyone is assuming that's the case. It hasn't really been confirmed yet, so if it's otherwise, it's going to be hard to tamp the rumors down. Oh, if only Verter didn't stir such a scene for his theory."

Patty frowned. "What did he do?"

"He was the one who introduced the idea that Mr. Clubtail was murdered. He was using it to push rather hard to train Cera and Chomper." Grandma Longneck sighed. "There are always some who would take advantage of a crises situation."

"That is true." Grandpa Longneck said. "Still, he is Mr. Threehorn and Tria's friend. Maybe some good can come out of making sure those two learn to defend their friends."

"Though we weren't so good with quelling rumors and figuring out the facts of this death." Grandma Longneck said. "I can see why she scolded us. As the more prominent members of the valley, we do have a certain responsibility to contribute."

"Which brings us to our current situation." Grandpa Longneck said. "In order to calm the valley and keep people safe, we need to determine if this is a murder and track the killer down if that's the case. We'll join Mr. Thicknose and those working with him to help make sure the investigation goes smoothly. This will be grim and time consuming. Someone else will have to look after our grandson, so if you don't mind…"

Littlefoot, listening to the conversation, felt his heart sink. Patty looked surprised. Considering the proposal, she smiled.

"I'd be more than happy to watch over Littlefoot," she said. "He's a good kid. It'd be a treat."

"G-great." Littlefoot tried to smile. "I'm thankful for this, Patty, really. But…" He turned to his grandparents. "Are you going to be safe? If you're looking for this killer, well…if you find him you might get hurt. What if he thinks you're getting closer and-"

"We'll take all the precautions we can, Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck brought her head close. "You've seen that we can defend ourselves. Don't worry."

"I know, it's just…" Littlefoot lowered his gaze. "You know my worries."

"Yes." Grandpa Longneck closed his eyes briefly. "We can't guarantee there won't be any risks but we assure you we won't be reckless."

"I – yeah. This killer does need to be found."

But still, his silence was nervous. Hastily, Grandma Longneck jerked her head to his right.

"Anyway, this isn't all bad," she said. "You'll get to with Patty for the most of the day. Isn't that what you want?"

Littlefoot looked at Patty, who stood there and smiled welcomingly. After a moment, he stood straighter and smiled.

"Yeah…" Then with more energy. "Yeah! I wish things were better but…Thanks, Patty. I'll try not to be too hard. We'll have fun, you'll see"

Patty chuckled. "At least I won't be bored. Thanks for bringing some light into my life."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck smiled with relief. Taking some final bites from the tree, they looked at the bright circle's position.

"Will you be able to start now?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"I don't have much to do anyway." Patty replied. "Even if I did, making sure your son's safe would be the priority."

"We appreciate your generosity." Grandpa Longneck said. "Littlefoot, behave with Patty. Explore the valley if you wish but stay away from high places and be in view of others. This investigation might hold us up but Grandma and I will try to return by nightfall. Maybe by then we'll know a bit more of what happened."

"Good luck." Littlefoot said. "Stay safe. And – remember to eat!"

Grandma Longneck chuckled. "What would we do without you looking after our best interests? See you tonight."

There were exchanges of nods and tail waves before Grandpa and Grandma Longneck departed. Littlefoot watched them disappear in the distance, and watched some more. Feeling a gentle touch on his back, he turned to Patty's reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," she said. "They seem wise. I'm sure they'll be safe."

"Yeah…" Littlefoot relaxed and returned the smile. "So, can you show me how you did those jumps again? I still can't see how your feet clear the tail."

"It depends on how you swing it. If you angle it like this, then…"

Littlefoot watched as Patty resumed demonstrating the trick, the earth rumbling each time her rear feet landed on the ground. He stared in concentration, standing a bit stiffly, only for a rumble to make him fall to his side. That was embarrassing but he and Patty laughed it off. Making an embarrassment of himself was preferable to reflecting on the day's events. Right now, he was content to stand and try to memorize the trick of a new friend he was happy to be with.

* * *

"…and um, that why the killer a relative." Petrie said. "Did me get that right?"

Don sighed. "Do you know anything about Mr. Clubtail's relatives that makes you think one might hold a grudge against him?"

"Um, no." Petrie admitted. "Me think me heard he have cousin who have child."

"You would need to know more than that." Don said. "What are their personalities, feelings, habits? What have they said in the past few days? Without any of that, you can't build a good argument that can find and actually corner the killer. Under that scenario, how would you gather evidence to make your argument?"

Frowning, Petrie crossed his arms and thought again. They were at his nest. The advantage of his new home was that his land walker friends could visit without the awkwardness of Petrie having to fly back and forth to be with them. They could sit with his siblings among the twigs and shade or in the light where they could sunbathe. Petrie was happy with the arrangement. He, Ruby, and Don had currently squeezed themselves to the side of the nest's rocky shelter, where there was just enough room for them to sit and face each other while going through the hypothetical scenarios that were supposed to challenge their thinking skills.

Mama Flyer appeared at their side. "It's nearly lunchtime. Anyone want berries?"

"Oh yes, please." Ruby said.

"Me too." Petrie said distractedly. "Eating is good for thinking."

Mama Flyer smiled and deposited a few red orbs into each of their hands. Hesitating, she turned to the third person present.

"Do you want anything, Don?"

"No thank you." Don gave a dismissive wave. "Feed the rest of your brood. Maybe it'll quiet their chatter."

Mama Flyer's beak tightened but she merely gave Petrie and Ruby a confused look before disappearing around the corner. There was the sound of shuffling and a few raised voices as she distributed food but Petrie's siblings weren't as talkative as he was used to. The news of Mr. Clubtail's murder had shocked the family and they didn't know how to carry on with the usual boasts and squabbly anecdotes that made the nest a lively home. Petrie snacked on his berry, hoping its nutrients might stir his brain with good ideas.

"Me would go and ask relatives about Mr. Clubtail." Petrie said finally. "Learn about them with talking. At least they might know where he was last night, right?"

"Good." Don said. "But you would have to do more than ask questions. You would need to examine how they move, their tone of voice, how they meet your eye. You can't only trust their word."

"Why not?"

"Because they mightn't tell the truth or the whole truth." Ruby said. "Sometimes people hide things because they are guilty – but sometimes they hide things because they want privacy."

"Exactly." Don said. "Mr. Clubtail's relatives would hesitate to reveal anything to a flyer youth they barely know. They might say anything to be left in peace and hey would be especially wary now since there is the risk his ghost might come back and complicate their grief."

Petrie shuddered. "That would be spooky. Though…maybe that could help? We could ask him who killer is."

"That is dubious. Depending on what happened to him, he mightn't have gotten a good look at the killer." Don rubbed his beak, troubled. "Though it isn't a path we should dismiss."

"Hey, we can't do that." Ruby said, sitting up with distress. "That would be cruel. Mr. Clubtail wasn't a cruel person, so if he comes back as a ghost, we should leave him in peace."

"Even if it might be cruel, does it outweigh the benefit of making sure other lives are spared from this killer?" Don asked. Ruby could only look down. He turned to Petrie. "But we can't rely on the unpredictability of a ghost showing up. We must find clues in the living, who are already unreliable. Which means, Petrie, you'd have to watch closely for signs any of Mr. Clubtail's family might be evading the truth. So what would you do?"

"Oh, um." Petrie said, thrown by the switch in topic. "Me think me would speak to saddest relative and they tell the truth. If they sad, they would want to know what happened."

Don narrowed his eyes. "How would you be sure the saddest isn't a good actor? Even if they are genuine, they still might not tell you everything. If the killer is a relative, how are you going to make the others be honest with you in a way that would disincline them from innocently informing him of what you did?"

"Um…me would be nice and tell them not to talk to other relatives?"

"So you would just trust them and not watch the others you interview closely in case they don't keep their word?"

"…yes? No? Maybe?"

"That is too trusting. That naiveté would endanger you if you actually underwent that scenario. You need to watch people's body language and tone closely to spot if they are lying and keep yourself composed to make sure they aren't aware you know they're lying."

"But me not good at telling when people are lying!" Petrie protested. "Me try to see their faces and hear how they speak but no matter what, me can't notice those things. Oh, this all so hard. Maybe me can't do it after all."

Petrie hung his head. Don's hard gaze remained on him for several moments before he rubbed his temples.

"Look," Don said, "I could be doing anything right now, but instead I'm sitting with two children trying to teach them wisdoms. I want to be sure I'm not wasting my time. I know these lessons might be difficult, so I suggest finding a motivation to keep you committed. When dealing with a challenging task, there's nothing like a good motivation to pull you through. I hope you can find one that can be good enough"

"O-okay." Petrie looked down. "Me will try."

He felt Ruby touch his back soothingly. Don turned to her.

"Continuing on with our discussion about suspects," he said, "you believe only a large dinosaur must have pushed him off. Why?"

"Right." Ruby took a deep breath. "A small dinosaur could do this if clever enough but from the marks you heard were on him, it seems only a dinosaur around a clubtail's size would have the strength to push a clubtail off a cliff and drag him to the sweet bubble patch. There would need to be a lot of small dinosaurs to do that and involving a lot of people would be too risky for keeping the secret."

"Small dinosaurs are sneaky, so it's possible." Don mused, making Ruby frown. "But I agree. I would suggest looking at the more aggressive kinds for suspects, like other clubtails."

"Clubtails are aggressive?" she asked. "I don't know. The clubtails I know didn't display much aggression."

"Since clubtails use their clubbed tails for combat, they are aggressive. It's merely common knowledge."

"Was this common knowledge gained now, or before dinosaurs integrated, when dinosaurs didn't know much about each other?"

"This was gleamed from observation and common sense." Don sent her a cool look. "I don't see how-"

"Dear, there you are!"

A male voice cut into the discussion. Mama Flyer walked into view as a crested flyer rapidly flew toward them. He stirred up dust in his landing, looking around with wide eyes.

"I heard about what happened to the clubtail." The male flyer, Petrie's father, continued. "Are you all okay?"

"We're fine." Mama Flyer replied. "None of us were involved. We're only shaken, that's all"

"As is the rest of the valley." Papa Flyer's eyes strayed behind her. "Good, you have all the kids here. Wait, where's Petrie?"

His gaze slide to the right of the nest and landed on Petrie. Papa Flyer's face relaxed with relief but it turned to confusion when he saw Ruby next to his son. As he saw the elderly flyer beside them, he frowned.

"Isn't that Don? What's he doing here?"

"Petrie and Ruby brought him along to help them guess what happened to Mr. Clubtail." Mama Flyer answered. "Since they're talking quietly, I allowed it."

Papa Flyer turned to her with narrowed eyes. "You're allowing them to talk about the murder?"

"Don't worry, they only want to know what to look out for so they could notify an adult and prevent this from happening again," she said. "They said they won't get involved with anything."

"Hmm, like they've said before." He glanced at her, displeased. "I don't see why you'd allow this. Our son and his friends get involved in enough weirdness."

Mama Flyer bristled. "Now, dear-"

"To even allow that crazy old flyer near our home-"

"I was as surprised to see him as you are but if Petrie and Ruby want his company, who am I to judge?"

"Talk about preventing tragedies isn't normal."

"I'm not going to question how our son and his friend grieve. They knew Mr. Clubtail, they need space to process this."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But it concerns me our boy has any connection at all to this mess and he is already connected to one too many with those friends of his."

"I'm also concerned about what he and friends get up to but I'm doing my best to tamp that down, not control his-" Mama Flyer closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Look, can we not talk about this now? Especially with…Mr. Clubtail."

Papa Flyer sighed. "Yes. Today, we should be a center of normalcy for our children."

Attempting to compose himself, he smiled and joined Mama Flyer into walking to the nest. Don glanced around, irritated.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted," he said. "Well…it doesn't sound like I'm wanted here anyway. Should I even bother to continue the discussion?"

"Continue discussion." Petrie said suddenly. "Let just…continue talking."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yes." Petrie was staring at where his parents stood. "Me – me find one motivation to get me through this."

Ruby smiled. Don watched Petrie. For a moment, his lips twitched up but no one noticed. He turned back to her.

"Back to the topic of suspects," Don said, "why do you have such issue with my knowledge of aggressive dinosaurs?"

Ruby started, hastily getting back to her train of thought. "The – the reason I have an issue with it is that I was told the same things too but being in the valley showed me things were different from what I was told. Do you actually know any clubtails?"

"Why should I have to talk with aggressive dinosaurs? Observation is enough to know their ways."

"But even close observation doesn't give you the complete truth of who they are. When I engaged with clubtails and threehorns and domeheads, I got a better idea of what their ways are. There are many who aren't aggressive or who have changed and don't practice some of their worst practices anymore. I'm not saying the killer couldn't be one of them but relying on those incomplete judgements would only mislead us in an investigation."

Don sighed. "I thought you wanted to catch this killer. Why do you have so much interest in denying my truth?"

Ruby averted her gaze. "I'm just interested in how those who are different work. I've seen some other kinds but I hadn't really talked with many until I moved to the Great Valley. Being able to talk with so many kinds is one of the amazing things about this place."

"Ah, that's right." Don rubbed his chin, eyes on her. "Everyone knows of you and the sharptooth youth's story. This would be a different environment for your kind. No wonder you are so curious."

Ruby hesitated. "It isn't just curiosity."

Don widened an eye. "Oh?"

Ruby looked down. She gave Don a distrustful look, fiddling with her hands, but she gathered the nerve to speak.

"Say – say you find where the solution to a problem is," she said. "The people who care for you say to take your time to find an answer but they expect you to find one eventually. But there are many places in that place to find it. You try a few but they don't work out, so you put off working out the others. But then other things get your attention and… "

"You never finds the solution to the problem." Don finished. "It seems this person realizes their error. Why don't they solve it now?"

"That person tries. But you get only more confused. You discover you don't have the experience to see the details and know how to put them together. It's frustrating, since people count on you to solve the problem but you need time to know how to solve problems in the first place."

Petrie glanced between her and Don, trying to follow along but still confused. Don examined her.

"That is quite a quandary the hypothetical person is in," he said finally

Ruby nodded distantly. "It is."

Don held his chin as he stared away. "This problem – it doesn't have anything to do with Red Claw, does it?"

Ruby's head jerked up. Petrie gave a yelp.

"Red Claw?" he said. "O-oh."

"How did you know?" Ruby then sighed. "Wait, you said our story is common knowledge."

"I only made the logical connection his presence in your former home is related to the scenario you detailed out." Don said.

She hesitated again but eventually blew out a breath.

"You're right," she admitted. "Our parents did think the Great Valley and Chomper's friends could be a solution to the Red Claw problem. But when I tried to find that solution – I realized the problem was too big for me. I could feel the solution for some big problems but don't always know how I got there. I tried to think about it more but with my new friends and new life in the valley…"

Don sighed. "There is a reason children are not trusted with such a heavy responsibility. The youth do not have the maturity deal with long-term tasks. Was it wise for your parents to send you here for such a task?"

"They didn't force me. But…"

Ruby looked down again. Petrie looked between her and Don.

"Hey, that not fair!" he said. "Ruby plenty wise. She really good at learning and helping others. If anyone can do it, she can."

Don nodded faintly. "You do give the impression you feel shamed enough to make up for your lapse. So that is the reason you want to listen to my wisdoms."

"Maybe." Ruby sent him a dubious look. "I don't think your wisdoms are all good but I've seen enough glimmers in those wisdoms that I think they might be helpful. I want to learn how to watch out for details and put them together in the right ways. I need to, so I can be of help to my friends and family. If I don't, I might make mistakes that might hurt them."

"Hmm." Though displeased by her criticisms, Don wore a thinking expression. "For Wing Father's sake, this is a heavier responsibility than I anticipated." He raised his gaze "Will that motivation be enough to get you through this process?"

Ruby looked up, more determined. "As long as this process is composed of more than inaccurate stereotypes."

Don snorted. "I guess I'll have to demonstrate the greater breadth of my knowledge. Very well."

"Go on," she said. "Give us your best shot."

Petrie nodded. "Me think me ready to listen too."

Don rose, arms becoming animated. "If you want to really find out what's special about your friends or the valley, keep an eye out for anything that seems unique to them. Do your friends, for instance, speak in ways that are different to how those you knew speak? Does the valley influence people here to behave differently, discuss different topics?" He met her eye. "If you constantly study those elements, you might find the answer to your question."

"That's," Ruby touched the tip of her mouth, "actually not bad advice. I do notice interesting or helpful things without looking for them in our adventures. I suppose I need to be more active in noticing them."

Don nodded, satisfied. "It is through constant observation, putting away details, and interrogating them that you come to an answer."

"Wow." Petrie said. "You must know lots of what people do with all that watching and thinking."

Don's gaze turned skyward. "Well, keeping a flock in order was busy work. You have to always be on alert to make sure no one is up to mischief."

Ruby looked at him, disbelieving. "You were a flock leader?"

"I was merely the advisor. I rarely spoke outside that role but when I did, I backed my words up with facts. It was useful when others got themselves into funny business they didn't understand. More than one life has been saved because of me."

"Ooh." Petrie said, impressed. "You sounded really important."

Don nodded with some satisfaction "Even if some didn't like me, at least they respected my skills. When there were questions about how to get to a destination, they would ask me which wind currents to take. When we needed a safe place to rest, I pointed out caves sheltered from the elements, or kinds that were safe to sit nearby. For so many cold times, they had trusted my judgement. I had a place in the flock, one that I deserved."

For a moment, Don sat straight, pride radiating from every pore. Then he wilted.

"Then – well, you two are old enough to remember what happened: the climate changed and the herds intermixed. Because of that, my flock began to think my knowledge was out of date. When I made a few mistakes, they began to disrespect me. After we settled into the valley, some became especially unruly. When I rightly slapped some miscreants into their place, the flock thought it was beyond the pale and indicated I was no longer welcome among them. All that work, and they throw me away like yesterday's shiny rock. I ended up alone. No one will listen to me anymore."

Don glared at the Great Wall mountains. Petrie watched with sympathy. Ruby could understand why. She heard many stories from her parents about those who fell out of their role in a group through age or circumstance and she felt for them. Nevertheless, she saw some holes in Don's story.

"That sounds like a hard experience," she said delicately. "I can understand why you take it so hard."

"Yes. It was a rude awakening to see the true idiocy of-" Don stopped and glared. "There is a 'but' coming."

"I don't mean to be insensitive but I wonder if…" Ruby hesitated. "Did you try to adapt to the changes that came around?"

"Just because the world changes, it doesn't mean elder wisdom becomes no longer accurate." Don said loftily. "You're not being very respectful if you question everything an elder says."

"Being respectful doesn't mean being unquestioning," she retorted. "I only mean – when you advise your flock to use a wind current that's no longer there, when the shelter you point to have crumpled due to the weather change, when 'unapproachable' dinosaurs start becoming approachable…those wisdoms aren't accurate anymore and some might have never been accurate. Maybe if you adapted and added to your knowledge, your standing mightn't have changed."

Don stared hard at her. She attempted to meet his gaze calmly, reminding herself this was nothing compared to the sharpteeth she stared down. He looked away.

"Why should I have to change?" he muttered. "I've worked so long to get that position. Why should I have to start over again and again just to make sure some unworthy upstart doesn't take my place?"

"There's nothing we can do about time," she said. "But you still have time to learn more. My parents told me if you have fun learning, you'll more likely remember what you learned. Mr. Thicknose is an example of that: he's among the oldest in the valley yet is still learning and has fun doing so. If you work at it and come to enjoy learning again, you might regain your previous standing."

Don frowned but then a thoughtful look came in. Left and right, left and right, that hand went under his beak as, for a moment, hope seemed to light in his eyes. Then he stopped and lowered his hand.

"No. They wouldn't accept me back," he said. "They didn't even show proper gratefulness for saving one of them several night circle cycles back. Oh, if only time didn't rob you of what you deserve…"

Don trailed off. Petrie and Ruby were confused but then he turned to them and for a moment, pity almost entered his expression, as though he felt sorry for these two children who have yet to experience the kind of pain many elders go through…

Then he shook himself and all that old severity came back.

"We have gotten far off topic. Ruby, your arguments are on the right track with the culprit but it still needs work. You and Petrie will need far more evidence to figure out any mystery, never mind who this killer is."

Ruby was startled by this switch in attitude, her mind struggling to shift gears. She bristled at the critiques but sighed.

"There is a point there. We can't point to any dinosaur with only guesses."

"Exactly." Don said, satisfied. "What should you be on the lookout for?"

"Anyone who's sleepy or is sleeping. Pulling a clubtail across the valley would be exhausting."

"There are those who are good at covering up their exhaustion."

"Would a normal relative be good at not looking tired?"

"Murders aren't always personal." Don said, raising a finger. "They could be a means for other ends."

Ruby blinked before shaking her head. "We don't have evidence for that either. Even so, it's still personal if-"

Ruby and Don continued arguing. Petrie watched. Strangely, Ruby and Don appeared to be energized by the argument. Petrie was a bit lost but supposed it was sort of like how his friends bickered with Cera. Really, he was amazed Ruby could keep up with Don. Their talk was almost on another level. Still, Petrie tried to keep up. He chimed in with his own ideas whenever he could, he and Ruby determined to become smart enough to keep their loved ones safe.

 **Next time…**

 **Part 3**

* * *

 **6/27 Note:** So yeah, I've been editing down these four chapters so much, I realized they could be combined into three. So here's a additional ten page section added to this chapter. Of course, this throws off my release schedule. I won't get part three up by Sunday. At worst, it would have to be the 7/8 Sunday at the latest but to compensate for this change, if I finish part three early, I'll post it at any day before 7/8. Hope this new material is satisfying enough to tide you enough until then!


	12. Seeking Sanctuary Part 3

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 12: Seeking Sanctuary Part 3**

Mama Swimmer stared as her two children stood in front of her with a most unlikely guest.

"Oh, you've got to be-" she said. "What is Tega doing here?"

Ducky rubbed the back of her head. Tega stood a few steps back from her and Spike, chewing a piece of grass. When Ducky and Spike came up to their family nest earlier, they saw Mama Swimmer glance around anxiously, standing close to the large gaggle of their brothers and sisters, whose normal cheerful banter was ominously subdued. As the pair got closer, Mama Swimmer looked up with relief and stepped forward to hail them but stopped when she saw their companion.

"Do not worry Mama, Tega will be on her best behavior." Ducky said. "We invited her."

"Invited her?" Mama Swimmer repeated. She glared. "What is this? If you forced my kids to have you as company-"

"Mama, it is true!" Ducky insisted. "She suggested we talk and we agreed to let her come along. She didn't force us or anything."

"Do they look scared?" Tega said. "Kids are terrible at lying. It would be obvious if I was leg-twisting them."

Mama Swimmer faltered. She looked Ducky and Spike over closely. Despite their nervousness, there was no fear related to the large spiketail standing close by. Ducky wasn't sure whether to be relieved when Mama Swimmer gained a baffled look. The other brothers and sisters also watched with a mix of surprise and concern.

"So you're really with her?" Bill asked. "What could she have said that made you want to talk to her?"

"Yeah." Bitty said, sending Tega a nervous glance. "No offense, but she's kind of scary."

"It is because she helped me and Spike after we found out-" Ducky took a deep breath and looked away. The grief was there, below her heart, ready to return. "You – you heard about what happened, right? She said some nice things that made us feel better."

"Oh." Mama Swimmer softened a bit. "I understand – this loss must be painful for you two – but do you remember what I said about her? How can you be sure she is being sincere?"

"I'm standing right here, you know." Tega said. She leaned to her side, bored by the suspicion.

"She did not speak to us in her usual way." Ducky explained. "It was not nice nice, but she was quieter and had more feeling, so we got what she was saying. We have Cera as a best friend, we could tell."

"Really?" Riv glanced at Tega curiously. "That is nice. Still, Tega…"

"Hey, this isn't much out of Ducky and Spike's range." Eda, part of Ducky's batch, said. "Remember when they hung out with Doc, that Lone Dinosaur guy? He was scary looking but wasn't so bad."

Norkel, a brother from the second batch, nodded. "They even made Mr. Thicknose nicer by being friends with him. Maybe they know what they're talking about here."

There were nods and murmurs, the brothers and sisters easing in the brown impression in the grass. Still, some cast Tega a wary eye. Mama Swimmer's doubtful look turned to uncertainty. She glanced between Ducky and Spike, Tega, and the rest of her kids, as though pulled in different directions.

"Oh!" she said. "I wish you wouldn't do this to me. It's bad enough that your father had to up and get sick recently and now I have to take care of all your brothers and sisters. I can't be dealing with accommodating her as a guest when I have so many needs to attend to."

"You do not need to worry about accomiodating!" Ducky said, tripping a bit over the last word. "In fact, this might help. Tega will not cause trouble. We just want to continue talking – in private. Will that be okay?"

"In private?" Mama Swimmer appeared thrown. She touched her chin. "I'm not sure. I know this loss might make you want to talk about some delicate feelings – but I want you two where I can see you."

"We will not be far, we promise. We just do not want to be interrupted or upset anyone about what we talk about. Besides, it will make sure you are not distracted from looking after our brothers and sisters. That sounds fair, right?"

Spike nodded, making pleading eyes as he vocally backed his sister up. Mama Swimmer hesitated, glancing back at the rest of her children.

"Well…" she said. "I'm nervous about this killer being around but…"

"Oh, let them go, Mama." Bill said. "As long as they stay close, I'm sure they'll be safe."

"They do know what they're doing sometimes." Bitty said. She shuddered. "Who wants to listen to scary talk now anyway? Besides, isn't it time to swim? Come on, I want to swim."

There were nods and a chorus of yeah's, hands clasping as some spoke to her pleadingly. Mama Swimmer's gaze swung between Ducky and Spike and the rest of her charges, indecisive, feeling a tug between the instinct to have all her children in sight and the practicality of having two of them safely occupied by someone else. At length, she sighed.

"Oh, alright. But stick with your promise not to go far."

Ducky brightened. "Thank you, Mama! We will be close by, we will, we will."

Spike gave a "eh" of agreement, smiling gratefully. With a shake of the head and some traces of relief, Mama Swimmer turned and shepherded her other children to the river. Ducky and Spike glanced around for a good private place. A clearing surrounded by trees and bushes to her right caught her eye, and she waved for Spike and Tega to follow. Glancing back as they entered, she saw she made the right decision. The clearing was far enough that her family's splashing figures wouldn't hear what they were saying but they could still pick up where the pair's voices came from. As Tega lumbered in, Ducky could see the spiketail's back plates would be visible above the bushes as well. This was as safe and private a place as could be.

"You know, that was not bad." Tega commented.

"What?" Ducky said.

Tega walked opposite to where Ducky and Spike stood, chewing her grass as she faced them.

"I mean, bringing up you were mourning and taking advantage of her having her hands full." Tega continued. "That was a nice way to distract her so we can talk in peace."

Ducky stared before shaking her head. "It is not like that! Me and Spike just did not want to worry our family with the selfishness talk. We do not want to distract Mama from taking care of our brothers and sisters, really, really."

Tega sighed. "So resistant already. Do you want to listen to me or not?"

Ducky and Spike exchanged glances. Spike already appeared to regret this decision but nodded all the same. Sighing, Ducky waved toward Tega.

"Alright. Why do you think everyone is selfish?"

Tega sat down, chewing her grass as she gathered her thoughts.

"I've always hated being involved with groups," she began. "All their 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine,' 'I'll do this nice thing for you if you do something nice for me.' It was so annoying. I didn't want to deal with others' problems just so I could have my own taken care of. As soon as we got to the valley, I struck out on my own and learned how to take care of myself. I avoided socializing any more than I had to. That didn't mean I stopped watching people. I had to find some way to entertain myself and if nothing else, people are entertaining." There was a wry smile.

"I've been around for nearly as long as you're mother," she continued. "If there's one commonality I've seen in my many cold times of watching, it's that we do things for ourselves. Most people have all sorts of cover stories for their actions but in the end, whatever we're doing, we're doing it to satisfy some selfish emotional need. I noticed this in all sorts of creatures, from the largest longnecks to the tiniest crawlers. Life is about survival and survival is about selfishness. I thought I might as well be honest about it."

"I…see." Ducky said. She struggled to absorb all of this. "So when Mama is worried about me and Spike and all of my brothers and sisters, she is being selfish?"

"Yep. Parents especially have their own kind of selfishness."

"But she loves us!" Ducky protested. "She does all she can to make us happy. When that sharptooth went after us, she fought him to protect us. She – she nearly died. How can that be selfish?"

"It is selfish in that parents want their legacy to continue." Tega replied. "Even if she died, at least some part of her would live on in you, Spike, and the other spawn. That's the reason your parents had so many kids in the first place." She lowered her gaze to them. "If your mother was truly selfless, wouldn't she have had less children so she could give more attention to those she had?"

Ducky could only look away. As much as she liked being part of a large family, a part of her couldn't deny some frustration when her mother couldn't find time to be with her.

"But – Spike!" Ducky waved at her brother. "Mama and Papa made him our brother even though he is not a swimmer. How is that not selfless?"

Spike bayed with agreement, glaring for the insinuations about his beloved family, Tega was unmoved.

"There are parents who accept their legacy being continued by those who aren't their blood," she said. "When you gave them an additional child to look after, you were only fulfilling that goal."

Ducky opened her mouth but no sound came out. Her instincts were revolting. What Tega was saying didn't sound anything like the caring mama she knew since birth. Yet Tega's concept of self-interest was so foreign that Ducky didn't know what to say. Spike's frown, confusion also present.

Tega slid the grass in her mouth. "And don't think you or your friends are exempt from that self-interest. Whatever you do, you also do to benefits yourselves."

Spike was no longer unsure. Glaring, he moved to his sister and bayed insistently. Starting, Tega accidentally swallowed her grass, grimacing but keeping her cool. Ducky didn't need an interpreter to understand what he was saying. Spike was defending her, declaring she was the most selfless person he ever knew and that she did so much for him. She wasn't anything like Tega insinuated. Ducky's heart swelled. It was great to see how much he valued her. He panted, daring Tega to contradict him with his eyes.

"From what I can gather from that waffle, you think she is the most perfectest sister around," she said. Spike thrust his head hard. She bit down on another piece of grass, chewing. "Just because you think she is – for you, I might add – doesn't mean she doesn't get something out of it. Even the kindest among a circle of friends can make life difficult with too deep demands."

Ducky winced. "I – I try not to make life hard for my friends. I just want everyone to be happy."

"Ah, but seeing others happy is what you want." Tega said. "If your friends need to deal with a painful issue, I bet that makes you uncomfortable. What do you do then? Help them deal with it, or delay and distract until they're happy again?"

"I do not do any of that." Ducky looked down. "At least, I do not think so. Is it selfish to want people to be happy?"

"Hey, everyone wants to be happy. If self-interest aligns in that way, no harm done. The trouble comes when they don't align." Tega stared into her eyes. "You've had moments like that, haven't you? Where it was their happiness or your own."

Ducky didn't answer. Spike looked to her in concern but she stepped back, rubbing her head. She wasn't sure if she wanted to think. She was scared of the details she might find but in spite of herself, memories rose up into the light. There was the time Littlefoot and Cera fought over the route to the Great Valley, and separated. Instead of being loyal to the friend who offered her companionship on the journey, exhaustion made Ducky and the others side with Cera. When baby Chomper bit Cera and ran off, Ducky's fear of his diet made her initially not join Littlefoot in making sure the infant sharptooth didn't hurt himself. When all her little irritations about Spike piled up, she became so mean to him she nearly lost him to Tippy's herd. Ducky hadn't thought much about this conduct but looking back at it, she didn't like what it said about her. Whenever things became too scary or tough, she was ready to abandon those who needed help to make her life easier. Sure, she didn't commit to it in the end, but would a good person make those decisions in the first place?

She could say this was the past and that she had since changed but that wasn't true either. Not too long ago, she had ignored Spike when he was wedged in a tunnel because she was more interested in finding Sky Color Stones. When Ichy chased her in underground passages, she called for Spike and her friends even though they might get endangered by the sharpbeak. When the sharptooth threatened her friends around the pond, she only took action to save Spike and tried to find other underwater holes, and thus came across the sharptooth skeleton, only to make sure he stayed put. Ducky had been keeping these memories from the front of her mind, having had enough of the unpleasantness lately, but with Tega's reminder, she could no longer look away from the pattern she saw.

"Am – am I bad?" she murmured. "Am I not a good person? I thought I was, but…"

Spike stepped closer, shaking his head. Tega snorted

"Depending on your definition of self-interest, there are no good or bad people, just those out for themselves."

"But – my friends. They are always helping me and each other."

"Bad moods disturb the group dynamic. They only try to get you into a good mood so the group would be happy again."

"But other people have been nice and helped us a lot. Like Verter. He offered to train Cera and Chomper how to fight so they could protect us."

"People have all sorts of reasons for doing things." Tega said. "The threehorn wouldn't be training the kids if he wasn't getting something out of it."

"Huh?" Ducky shook her head. "But my friends and others have risked getting hurted and worse to save people, even those people say do not matter. How is that not selfless?"

Tega shrugged. "Some people find death or injury unpleasant even for those who are unpopular. Diverting it helps prevent that."

Ducky opened and closed her mouth. What was being said didn't ring true for her but she was finding it hard to think of anything to convince Tega otherwise. She felt her fight weakening. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of concerned violet eyes.

"There – there is Spike." Ducky said weakly. She waved at her brother. "He is so sweet, so kind. He made me feel better when I was sad about Mr. Clubtail. If there is someone who does not fit your 'everyone is selfish' definition, it is him."

Tega was almost amused. "Really? The same kid who I hear has a vociferous appetite? Don't tell me he hasn't eaten some of your food before?"

Spike had the grace to blush. He didn't mean anything by those actions. He just cruised with the flow and sometimes didn't consider the consequences until after the fact. Now that he looked on it, maybe that wasn't very considerate.

"I don't blame you for that selfishness, Spike." Tega said. "You strike me as the type who just likes take his time with life. Must be frustrating when your friends decide to pull you along for an adventure."

Spike started. Ducky also looked confused. What did his laidback style have to do with their adventures?

"Don't give me that look. Being an adventurer doesn't agree with you. It must annoy you that your friends are so ready to pull you away from the safe and reliable lifestyle to chase the next life-threatening escapade."

Spike's eyes widened and he shook his head, "eehs" and "ehs" full of denial. He wasn't a reluctant tagalong. He shoved his nose down and moved it among the grass and flowers, showing he liked exploring and adventuring as much as his friends.

"So you have some curiosity. Does that mean you enjoy the danger out there?" Tega asked. "It sounds stressful to be on the watch for the next threat all the time. Why can't they be as laidback as you are? Why can't they just enjoy the small moments of life? Those thoughts must have occurred to you at some point."

"Spike does not hate having adventures." Ducky said hotly. "He likes being with us, he does, he does."

"I wasn't talking to you. Let Spike indicate his thoughts."

Ducky glared but a glance at her brother made her double-take. He had faltered, head lowered as his eyes searched the grass.

"S-Spike?" Ducky said softly.

Spike started and averted his gaze. He heard a gasp but couldn't bear to meet his sister's eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, there was some truth to Tega's words. He often felt dragged along on the gang's adventures. The heavy exertion wasn't fun but the frequent threats that came their way, the earthshakes, sharpteeth, weather…there was too much fear in those situations. He didn't like having to constantly worry that at any moment any of his friends mightn't make it to the next sunrise. He could cope with the stress mostly but lately he was tolerating it less and less. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.

"Don't look so down," Tega said. "It's a wonder you put up with all your friends' nonsense. You must do things on your own sometimes. To not be at anyone's beck and call…those moments must be nice, right? That's only a taste of how I do things."

Spike looked up at her. He got what she was implying. As much as he had abhorred Tega for her food thievery and harshness to others, he couldn't deny a tiny part of him envied her. To go at your own pace, not answer to anyone or deal with minimum danger – it sounded like a comfortable life. Nothing much exciting might happen but he knew the important points in life were in the quiet and mundane. After everything from the last few days, he would give a lot for that.

But to not be connected with anyone at all…

"Do – do you want to stop being with us, Spike?" Ducky asked. She fidgeted. The very question made her quiver. "I did not know. We could leave you alone if you want. I mean, I get it. You did not have a choice in being friends with us. It hurts to think about but if doing that makes you happy-"

Spike shook his head with sharp sounds of denial. He thrust his gaze at her, pleading. No, he didn't want to leave Littlefoot and the others! He loved being with them, joining them in eating and playing silly games. He might go off to do his own thing but he always went back to his friends, these friends.

Ducky scratched her face, relieved.

"Then do you want us to stop adventuring?" she asked. "We could try that. I could talk to the others about it."

Spike frowned. Having more downtime would be nice. But the more he thought about it, the more his stomach twisted. He shook his head again. After all they did to allow him to be himself, how could he ask them to change? They were curious and wanted to help – it would be cruel to deny what made them themselves. Ducky was only more confused.

"Then what do you want?"

Spike's head turned uncertainly. He – he didn't know. He loved his friends but was being turned off by adventure. Those were too scary but he didn't want to abandon his friends. Once again, he felt struck between his desires and the grim complications of reality, and he whimpered under the weight of it all. Upset, Ducky stepped closer.

"I did not mean to pressure you, Spike! I am only confused, you do not need to decide anything right away. Oh, because of this self-interest, I only made you more anxious, I did, I did. I am sorry."

Ducky lowered her head. Spike made a noise of distress and stepped closer. He had become so immersed in his own struggles he didn't think about how this might affect his closest and dearest sister. Now what should he do? Tega watched their anxieties play out before she seemed to take pity on them.

"Hey, don't get so worked up over the details," she said. "There's nothing much you can do about it. It's only life, so just cruise along and enjoy it."

"But I want to be nice." Ducky mumbled. "I want to do good for others. But what can I do?"

Tega sighed. "If you're so insistent on being 'selfless,' use that self-interest for others."

"Use it for others?" Ducky looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I'll give an example." Tega flicked her gaze. "Spike, by being yourself more, you can remind your friends of the benefits of an ordinary life. They mightn't change their ways but they might take more cues from you. It would be in their self-interest to value their downtime and it would be in yours that they like you. Does that make sense?"

Spike titled his head and nodded slowly. He could see the merit in that idea, he thought as he gave his chest a brief rub. One of the reasons his friends liked him was how his laidback self brought a smile to their faces. Tega turned to Ducky.

"See?" Tega said. "Use that self-interest if it aligns with others. If a friend feel down, make them feel better so you feel better. If someone is absent among your circle and it's an inconvenience for both of you, bring them back. That's how everyone else gets along. Selfishness is the natural order of the world. It doesn't make you uniquely bad, so there's no use in getting twisted up about it."

"T-thanks, I think." Ducky touched her lip. "This is hard but we will try to remember."

Tega waved her tail. "You'll only stumble overthinking it. Just don't have any illusions that you're being selfless."

"Huh. I do not like everything you are saying but it is interesting." Ducky brought up a smile. "For someone who says everyone is selfish, you sure are assuring us a lot."

Tega gazed away, lips twitching. "I'm just trying to entertain myself. It would be troublesome if your mother noticed I was getting you two down."

"Still, if everyone is selfish, there must be ways they are also selfless. And what you just did was very unselfish, it was, it was. Thanks – for allowing us to talk. At least it helped us not think about Mr. Clubtail…"

Ducky trailed off. Spike gave a little moan. Now that she mentioned him, they remembered the horrible events of this morning all over again. This loss really was final. Tega chewed her piece of grass, surveying them before sighing.

"Alright. Now it's your go."

Ducky blinked. "Our go? Our go for what?"

"To be selfish. You already bore with my thoughts on selfishness, so I might as well hear what you have to say. It's only…'fair,' right?"

Ducky blanked. She took in Tega's amused, resigned expression and Spike nudged her, baying in encouragement. She realized Tega was attempting to comfort them again. Ducky smiled. Really, it was kind of sweet. She stood up taller.

"Okay, so you said people do nice things for selfish reasons, right? That might be true sometimes but some people have done nice things for me and I could not see any other reasons they did them other than to be nice. Like, there was that one time Littlefoot tried to…"

As Ducky went on, Spike nodding beside her, she couldn't help her spirits rising. However horrible and complicated the world was, engaging in this debate might help. Maybe focusing on the good of the world could heal her.

* * *

Cera and Chomper ran their laps around the fighting grounds, muscles sore and breaths searing. Running for long stretches was no foreign concept to them – they were used to it while dodging danger in their adventures. But there, the drive to survive usually kept the exhaustion at bay. Here, they had nothing to distract them from how tired and sweaty every part of them was.

*I don't know how much more of this I can take.* Cera thought.

Chomper was already slowing. He swung his little arms with all his might, lagging a foot or two behind, pants struggling for breath. Before he could fall back any further, there was a crack and Chomper jumped when a vine nearly snapped his toes.

"Try to keep an even pace, Chomper." Verter said. "No lollygagging, you can do it."

Chomper grimaced, but pumped his legs harder. Cera felt a flicker of annoyance. Verter had been cheery ever since this training began. He instructed and egged them on with great vigor. He jogged beside them, occasionally using that vine to make them move faster when words didn't work. It didn't hit either of them yet, but he appeared all too natural at using it.

*What's he getting out of this?* she thought.

Cera was too tired to follow up that thought. Still, it was the latest in a long collection of thoughts her mind gathered throughout the exercise. That cavalier attitude grated her. Didn't he remember a murderer was on the loose in the valley? Why wasn't he taking this seriously? With those questions, her confidence had started to wane. As much as Cera would like to be confident in her and Chomper's abilities, they were still kids. Wasn't it a bit strange for Verter to ask a pair of youths to train and prepare for this threat instead of adults? Did he even know what he was doing? A deep pit lay in her stomach by the time they finally neared a pointy tall rock Verter designated as the start and stop point. As soon as they crossed it, they collapsed, gasping for air. Chomper winced, gripping a stitch in his side. Cera concentrated on calming her heartrate. A few seconds later, Verter loped up, only a bit winded.

"Alright, time for a break," he announced. "Rest and eat up. You're going to need it for the next round."

Suiting actions to words, Verter walked over to the foliage at the fighting grounds' edge and started ripping leaves from a bush. Sending him a mutinous look, Cera limped after to join him, chomping treestars from a low-hanging branch. Chomper followed, sniffing the ground for bugs. For a few minutes, only the sound of eating and Chomper perusing through the dirt filling the air. Gradually, energy seeped back into them. Once they finished, they stretched out to rest in the shade.

"Woah, that was hard." Chomper said. "I didn't think I was going to make it."

"That's a normal part of training." Verter said. "Pushing yourself beyond the brink of what you're used to until you're used to it. There'll be more hard work ahead for you two."

"Though it looks like this isn't going to be hard work for all of us." Cera glanced at him.

Verter looked up and smiled. "Hey, I'm used to strenuous activity. Training new recruits is exciting."

"You do seem to be having fun." Chomper observed. "You really like whipping that vine around."

That earned a smirk. "I admit, I enjoy playing the part of hard-horned instructor. I've used vines before to encourage people in their training, so you don't need to worry about getting hit too much."

"Too much?" Cera repeated.

She and Chomper exchanged nervous looks. Hastily, Verter put on a reassuring smile.

"I'm improving my technique. I haven't been teaching consistently for a while, so I'm a bit out of practice. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I have memorized the Threehorn Ascension training routine. I asked my instructors to teach them to me until I could recite them in my sleep."

"It's not that that's bothering us." Cera said. "It's just – someone we know has been murdered and you're acting like it's just another fun day in the valley."

"Mr. Clubtail is dead." Chomper said softly. "Don't – don't you find that sad?"

Verter didn't appear to know what to say to that. Frowning, he settled down, chewing some leaves as he thought over his next words.

"When you've been around as long as I have, you see a lot of death," he said carefully. "Life is tough, especially if you're a threehorn and not everyone makes it. Seeing bodies can become an everyday part of life, so either you can become paralyzed with grief by it all or you decide to become numb. Me, I want to approach life with humor. That is a method of numbing if you think about it but at least you take some enjoyment out of life. If I lose someone I know, I prefer to look on the fun times. If a stranger dies, I will pay my respects but at some point I must move on. I never knew Mr. Clubtail, he was not a part of my life. I'm sad for your loss but there's only so much grief I can bring up before I must turn to the positive of the day."

They watched as his eyes misted, dwelling on memories heavy and distant.

"Huh." Chomper touched his chin. "I think my parents have said things like that when talking about their life."

"Does the fighting part also have to do with that humor thing?" Cera asked.

"You could say that." Verter sighed. "You are fortunate, Cera. Out in the Mysterious Beyond, threehorns can be quite ruthless. It can be kill or be killed and if I can't talk someone out of a fight…that's where the blood smell comes from. If I'm to survive, sometimes I have to make hard choices I don't want to dwell on. But these ghosts have recently made that challenging. Confronting old rivals I thought were good and gone was very painful. Normally, I can take the hardships of life but after meeting so many…even I couldn't handle it. I joined that little herd to escape from it all and that's where you found me after they decided the Great Valley could be a refuge."

"Oh," she paused. "So when you were so eager to have us trained-"

"You could say it was one way I was coping with the tragedy. Since you kids are already so well acquainted with danger, I wanted to help make sure you wouldn't have to deal with the losses I had. I was trying to make it fun but I can forget how insensitive that can be. I apologize."

Cera and Chomper were silent. Getting up, Verter stretched, cricking and pulling to work his muscles out. He hummed along but every once in a while his gaze flicked sadly to the pair. No matter how he tried to hide it, he appeared to regret his actions. Cera looked away, guilt in her gut. She thought something was weird with him, but she must have misjudged him. Verter gave the impression he wasn't taking the training seriously but he had been acting cavalier so he could cope with the tragedies of the world. He was doing this not only to prepare the pair for the dangers out there, but to distract them from the current crises. Cera could in some ways relate. She often made snarky comments to cope with danger in her and the gang's adventures. Some ticks of his behavior still rubbed her the wrong way but she pushed them down. Right now, she shouldn't let personal differences get in the way of what was important. Scraping a paw in the dirt, Cera turned to him.

"Maybe I should have thought before I spoke," she said. "You have your reasons for doing what you do."

Pausing, Verter surveyed her. He smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it. I should've been more sensitive. I don't hang out with kids much, so I can be blissfully unaware of their needs. I hope I'm not working you two too hard."

"Hey, don't worry." Cera said. "We're good at getting used to new routines."

"I hope I can get used to this." Chomper sighed, gazing down at himself. "I'm barely keeping up."

"Hey, don't get so down." Verter stepped closer to him. "They always say to watch out for the little guy. You think there's no way they'll amount to anything but before you know it, they start surpassing you in strength. This might be challenging now but remember – a lot of the most well-respected threehorns I heard of were derided in their youth and I'm sure the same can be said for other kinds."

"You think so?" Chomper said. He stirred but looked doubtful. "I'm not sure. What did these guys do to get so strong?"

"They worked hard – hard, hard, hard. They strived to be tougher than their peers and whatever challenge they had, they tackled it ruthlessly. Though there were moments they got tired or lost hope, they never gave up. I see that kind of determination in you. If you keep at it, I'm sure you'll be stronger than you ever thought you'd be."

Chomper stared at him. For a moment, it was like he wasn't sure what to make of this. Then a wonderful smile lit his face.

"If you say it, then I believe it," he said. "I'll tackle everything with all the ruthlessness I have."

"But not too much." Verter warned. "As I told you, you should be careful with that. I'll help measure you so that ruthlessness doesn't go off target."

"R-right." Chomper was a bit disquieted but the smile returned. "Make sure to watch me closely then."

Then to he got up and turned in the grass, slurping up any bugs he could find to fill the remaining space in his stomach. Verter watched proudly. Cera wondered if he was buttering Chomper up a bit but the sharptooth youth was looking so encouraged as he finished, she didn't have the heart to contradict it. Hastily, she got up to join Chomper in facing Verter.

Verter chuckled. "Done already? It seems you're ready to resume training."

"We are!" Chomper said. "Tell us what to do."

Verter's smile widened. "We'll be doing another round of jogging. The same laps, the same speed. After that, we'll do another round of stretches. Now, hop to it!"

With a wave of his head, Verter led Cera and Chomper back to the starting point in the fighting grounds. Cera fought down disappoint. Great, more jogging and stretching. Still, she told herself she should have expected this. Training inevitably involved a lot of repetition. Exchanging glances, when Verter announced for them to begin, she and Chomper dashed off, jogged with all their might.

* * *

Littlefoot crouched. Slowly, he began to swing his tail, getting it to the right rhythm. As he did so, he bent it toward his rear feet. Just as it was about to make contact, he jumped and the tail sailed smoothly under them. His feet back landed on the ground but a second later the tail tip returned. He jumped again, steadying his position under Patty's watchful eye.

"That's it," she said. "Keep going..."

Littlefoot jumped once more, clearing his tail a third time and then a fourth-

His tail tangled in his rear feet and he fell on his side. In spite of the mistake, the pair laughed.

"Oops," he said.

Patty chuckled. "That's alright. You're getting the hang of this. Just don't crouch so much."

Spurred by the encouragement, Littlefoot got into position and started again. After having watched Patty demonstrate the trick several times, he had felt ready to take it on. But seeing how a trick was done was different from performing it. He had tripped himself up and fell many times but each time he got back up and adjusted position, slowly finding his way around it. Littlefoot felt sore and a bit tired but he didn't mind. For him, learning a new trick was enjoyable. Even the mistakes were part of the fun.

On a brief pause, he noticed a rustle ahead. A line of colorful forms were cutting through the tall grass, and he realized it was the Tinysauruses passing by. Skitter got up on a rock, looking around. On one of those visual sweeps, his eyes landed on Littlefoot. Skitter brightened, waving energetically with his tail. Littlefoot grinned and waved back. Maybe he should invite the Tinysauruses to jump over his tail. He loved using his greater size to bring entertainment to his smaller friends.

Then Big Daddy came up and nudged Skitter forward. Skitter staggered and looked at Littlefoot uncertainly but at Big Daddy steady gaze, he walked onward. Big Daddy lingered long enough to give Littlefoot a polite nod but disappeared up ahead with the rest of his charges. Littlefoot spirits fell. It was disheartening to see them get rushed on with barely a hello like that.

But as he raised his head, he realized they weren't the only ones in a hurry. He and Patty were standing on a grassy hill, with an only few trees dotted about. He had an unbridled view of the many dinosaurs walking by. A clubtail, threehorn, and pebbleback passed by close together, eyes darting about nervously whenever they were more than a few inches apart. A lone whiptail longneck marched on, tail raised as though prepared to meet any attack. A crestless swimmer had an arm around her teenage daughter as they scurried by, not stopping to look around or play. Wincing, Littlefoot gazed about only to find more of this, dinosaurs moving quickly and trying not to catch attention, nervous or serious, with none of the joy or contentment he had known in the Great Valley for so many cold times…

Littlefoot's tail thwacked against his right foot and he yelped, falling down. Patty lowered her head to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Littlefoot rolled onto his stomach, raising his head assuringly. "Just got distracted. I practiced how to whip my tail a few times, so this isn't the worst pain I've felt."

Patty's lips twitched. "One would think with that experience you'd be more careful not to get distracted."

"I know, it's just…" he shrugged. "Look around us."

She raised her head. He saw her smile fade as she watched the many passersby.

"They're all so scared and jumpy now." Littlefoot continued. "Normally, everyone in the Great Valley is pretty relaxed. But now they're all rushing and looking over their shoulders. Seeing them like this…it isn't right. They should be playing and hanging around without worry. People come here to get away from the stress that comes with fighting to survive. Now they have to deal with it all over again. They can't be happy and take their time with life. I hate who did this to our peaceful valley!"

Littlefoot looked down, panting as he attempting to gain a grip on his anger and sadness. Patty had her neck lowered, mouth open as though at a loss for what to say.

"I'm sorry," she said finally. "Many have heard how tranquil the valley is. I wish this didn't happen."

"Yeah," he sighed heavily. "Part of the reason I'm so interested in learning these tricks is so my grandparents can experience some of that peacefulness again. They can take stressful situations, but this isn't good for them. I can't do much about this killer or whatever but the least I could do is make sure they're at least a bit happy."

"I see." Patty inhaled. "Well, I guess we better learn to jump over other people's tails pretty soon. Let's speed up the training for our current trick then."

"What?" Littlefoot said. "Oh, Patty. You don't need to do this much for me."

"Don't be silly." She lowered her head to him. "You deserve to have a good relationship with your grandparents. I would be more than happy to help deliver that."

He smiled. Resuming position, Littlefoot began jumping over his tail again. He still occasionally tripped but even with the mistakes, he was getting the hang of this. He sent a proud smile up at Patty, who smiled back, appearing to enjoy watching his progress. That was good. Smiling suited Patty, in his opinion. She actually looked her young age instead of someone too wise beyond her years. Littlefoot's joy gained a bitter-sweet edge. If only there was a way she could always be this happy…

Patty caught his sneaking looks. "Something on your mind?"

Littlefoot blinked and put up a smile. "I was just thinking…it would be nice if we could do more of this."

"We'll as long as this killer is around, you're stuck with me," she said. "Don't worry, I'll try to make our time as fun-filled as I can."

Littlefoot chuckled. Then his hops slowed, mood dampening. "I hope my friends are happy now. Especially Cera and Chomper. This training doesn't sound like it's going to be a lot of fun."

Patty frowned. "I didn't like what I heard about Verter bullying them into accepting the task."

"I didn't like it either, but he kind of has a point," he squirmed guiltily. "Me and my friends do get into a lot of trouble we shouldn't. Maybe…this is for the best."

"Hmm. Training kids is still strange…but if you're group is as adventurous as I heard, that does make sense."

Littlefoot stared up at her. Patty shook her head and indicated they continue. He tried to concentrate on half-hopping over his tail, looking up to see her smile and give encouragement. One time, though, he thought he saw her give him a nervous glance and look away. He felt a stir of unease. Patty had made clear she didn't like Verter. Littlefoot had shrugged it off as a disagreement of personalities like Grandma Longneck said. But what about Verter could make Patty so troubled?

* * *

Hours had passed. The bright circle was nearing the west. Littlefoot had stopped practice and Patty had rewarded his hard work with some leaves. He crunched them, pride in his chest. He had made much progress with tail jumping. He was tripping less and he barely even fell now. Littlefoot couldn't wait to show this to his grandparents. Patty sat beside him, looking around, his sentry. He had been thinking about whether to resume practice or start on the jumping over other people's tails trick when he heard familiar voices.

He raised his head. In the distance, Ruby and Petrie's figures emerged into view. They were coming toward him, escorted by Mama Flyer's flapping silhouette. Littlefoot's spirits soared. Having at least some of friends come around was a welcome surprise. But then three other figures came into view. Ducky and Spike also approached, Mama Swimmer and their numerous brothers and sisters behind them, many of whom slumped slightly and rubbed their eyes. As they all got closer, he was able to pick up some of what they were saying.

"…talking to him not too bad." Petrie was saying. "It kind of interesting."

"Well, as long as he doesn't hit you, I'll allow it." Mama Flyer said reluctantly.

"…understand why you spoke with her." Mama Swimmer was saying. "It sounds like she had nothing much positive to say."

"It was not super fun but it made us think." Ducky replied. "We tried to put some positives into the talk. She even listened, she did, she did."

Littlefoot got up. "Hey guys. You're…here."

The others caught his eye, breaking from Mama Flyer and Mama Swimmer to make a beeline for him.

"Me and Petrie asked to be with you." Ruby said. "After spending most of the day at the nest, we began to miss being with you."

Ducky nodded. "The same with me and Spike. Mama was nervous, but we insisted we would not get in trouble."

Meanwhile, Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer were getting acquainted with Patty.

"So you're watching Littlefoot now." Mama Flyer said. "It was quite an adventure to track you down while coordinating with Mama Swimmer on where to go."

Patty chuckled. "I didn't mean to make us hard to follow."

"Don't blame yourself. I first had to look for Grandpa and Grandma Longneck to ask where you are and that was an adventure in itself."

"How are they, anyway?" Littlefoot asked.

"They're doing fine." Mama Flyer said. "They were a bit distracted but seemed physically well. Anyway, we brought the kids over to play with Littlefoot. I hope this isn't imposing on you but-"

"I'll watch over them." Patty said. "This is a hard time, they need each other's company. Keeping track of a few kids might be a challenge but I'll do it."

"Thank you." Mama Swimmer said gratefully. "Seeing generosity from someone so young makes this difficult day bearable. I'm sure you'll do fine. You might think it's challenging, but look, I have nearly twenty kids." She gave a laugh. "That tends to give some perspective."

"Mama, can we go home now?" Norkel asked, poking her.

"In a second, dear." Mama Swimmer turned to the gang. "Ducky, Spike, don't cause any trouble. Patty is being very considerate to watch over all of you, so stick with your promise to behave. Patty, I want them back before dark. That good with you?" She asked Mama Flyer. She nodded, Patty making the same head motion. "Great. Now if you excuse me, I need to get some very impatient children back home."

"I need to go too." Mama Flyer said. "My kids' father can't watch over them forever."

"Take care of your responsibilities, and I'll take care of mine." Patty said. "See you when the bright circle comes down."

With grateful nods, Mama Flyer and Mama Swimmer left. Ducky and Spike's brothers and sisters walked a few steps slower, waving after the pair, but becoming awkward when they caught Littlefoot and the others' eyes. As the two families disappeared in the distance, Patty turned to the gang.

"Do you need privacy?" she asked.

Hesitating, Littlefoot looked to his friends.

Ruby shrugged uncomfortably. "There are…some things we want to talk about."

There were reluctant nods. Littlefoot gave Patty an apologetic look but she walked away with no judgment. She stopped in front of a tree, face obscured as she made moves to eat, but her watchful eye remained in sight. Littlefoot and the others looked at each other unsurely.

"I wish we didn't separate today," he said.

"Me neither." Ducky said. "But after hearing about Mr. Clubtail…my mind was blank. I just went along with what your grandparents said. I guess me and Spike thought it was in our self-interest to go back to Mama for comfort."

Petrie nodded. "But it would have been comforting to be together. We have evidence it work before."

Ruby said distantly. "I observed this with both my family and my friends. It mightn't have been easier but I conclude it would have been better."

Spike joined them in nodding, humming thoughtfully. Littlefoot was bewildered.

"Uh, are you guys okay?" he asked. "You're kind of speaking funny."

"Oh, it nothing." Petrie said. "Me and Ruby just have a lot to think about."

"You too?" Ducky asked. "I guess today makes it in everyone's interest to think. We were doing a lot of that with Tega."

"Tega?" Littlefoot frowned. "Isn't that the spiketail who steals food and hurts people to make them go away? I heard my grandparents complain about her. Why were you with her?"

"She bumped into us while we were sad about Mr. Clubtail," she said. "After we talked about it, we went home to talk about selfishness. I guess me and Spike wanted something to concentrate on that was not today and she wanted to entertain herself."

"So that all she do?" Petrie asked. "She not wave her tail at you all mean-like or anything?"

"No. She did swing it at us yesterday but she said it was an accident."

"Hmm." Ruby murmured. "Well, rumors aren't always correct. But that conversation doesn't sound easy to deal with."

"It was not but it was interesting." Ducky said. "Do not worry, she was a bit nice in her own gruffy way."

"Well, if you say so." Petrie smiled. "Everyone making new friends today. Well, sorta. Me and Ruby have been talking with Don."

The others blinked at him and Ruby.

"Wait, Don?" Littlefoot said. "That flyer who threw rocks at us?"

"What do you get out of hanging out with him?" Ducky asked.

"I know you're as surprised as me and Petrie just were about Tega." Ruby said. "We got him to agree to talk to us after he butted into our talk on what this killer could be like. We talked about how to think and notice things better after that. You have to admit, it would be good to be better at those things on our adventures, to avoid dangers and adventure better."

"There is a point to that." Ducky admitted.

"Well, as long as Don's not throwing things at you." Littlefoot said. "Neither of those things sound fun but at least you guys seemed to be handling them well." He sighed. "You know, it's funny. All of you are becoming friends with such grumpy people and yet I'm more worried about what Cera and Chomper might be doing with Verter."

"You too?" Ruby asked. "I guess it makes sense. Verter and this whole training thing is a bit hard to make sense of."

Petrie nodded "Me thought he nice but he rather mean in making others let Cera and Chomper train."

"Yeah." Littlefoot said. "I can get if he's worried about Cera and Chomper, but he went rather far with our parents. I was a bit surprised to see that part of him."

"He say he is doing this to protect us but what is he getting out of this?" Ducky said. "He seemed rather interested in training them yesterday."

"That's what's bugging me." Littlefoot sighed. "I know threehorns can be harsh but something doesn't seem right. Why is he so interested in training kids? My grandparents are right, we shouldn't be fighting grownup battles. I know what we do kind of undermines that but to have them prepare to fight even a bit like adults is kind of worrying. Does he know what he's doing? How much care will he…"

He trailed off. The others followed his gaze, and stilled. A threehorn figure had appeared in the distance, moving steadily their way. At first, he appeared to be alone. But then two smaller silhouettes appeared beside him. They were too far to make out the condition of, but gradually, they resolved into Cera and Chomper. Verter's identity had long become clear. His signature blue eyes were bright and he moved at an easy gait. Soon, he stopped in front of Patty, looking around as Cera and Chomper remained beside him

"Ah, the gang's all here." Verter said. "Sorry for the delay. Didn't want to cut their training short, you can guess how important keeping children disciplined is."

"Hmm." Patty's gaze flicked to the pair, expression neutral. "Hopefully, you didn't train them too hard."

"Don't worry, I showed them mercy." Verter said. If he noticed Patty's cool reception, he didn't show it. "Enjoy the little reunion, Cera, Chomper. And have an early rest tonight – you're going to need it."

"Don't worry," Cera said, "I don't think there's a chance we'll be staying up tonight."

"Great! Now to tell Topps and Tria about your progress and get some rest myself. Toodles!"

With a wave of the head, Verter walked off cheerily. For a moment, the gang's eyes followed him but they turned as Cera and Chomper approached. Up close, the gang could see how exhausted they were. Their steps were slow and ginger, and a few cuts covered their bodies. Their expressions were haggard. Littlefoot was a bit startled, though in retrospect he told himself he should have expected this.

"Did the training go well?" he asked.

"Well, we got trained." Cera said, collapsing onto the grass. "Aah. My muscles feel like mush."

"Was he that hard?" Petrie asked.

"He did give us a few breaks." Chomper admitted, slumping beside Ruby. "But he mostly kept us moving, with jogging, hitting rocks…and stretching. Lots of stretching."

"I hope those few breaks were good breaks." Ruby said, looking over Chomper and Cera with concern. "Do those cuts feel okay?"

"Yeah." Ducky said. "Should you be getting hurt at all? What would you get out of that?"

"Hey, getting hurt's inevitable in training." Cera said. She glared up. "Do you think I would've gotten so good at breaking stuff if I didn't get a few cuts along the way?"

Chomper nodded. "I got hurt a few times when my parents taught me how to get food and, um, stuff. It isn't fun but it's normal."

That didn't assuage Littlefoot and the others. Cera glanced around, eyes narrowed, before raising her head.

"Alright, what's with all the questions?" she asked. "You're all acting pretty strange."

"We do not mean to bother you," Ruby hesitated, "but how Verter behaves kind of bothers us."

Petrie nodded. "He weird. Even me can see he a bit too interested in training you."

Chomper raised his head. He appeared surprised by the concern. Cera, on the other hand, only looked annoyed.

"He just wants to push us, to get the best out of us," she said defensively. "With this killer around, of course he'd be interested in training us."

"But he seemed interested in training you yesterday, before any of that happened." Littlefoot said. "Don't you think that's strange?"

"I think he's just excited to train a sharptooth." Chomper said. "I mean, that's kind of weird, but it's nice to have a leaf eater be excited to see me for once."

"But is that all he is getting – getting out of-" Ducky threw up her hands. "Oh, speaking like this is too weird. I mean, is meeting nice sharpteeth and making you good at fighting all he wants out of this?"

"He's my parents' friend." Cera said. "He gets to make sure they don't suffer any - anymore losses. There is nothing wrong with him."

Ruby raised a hand. "But he does act kind of weird. Can't you not see that weirdness?"

"What do you get out of calling people weird? You barely know him. We're the ones who have been with him all day. I know you guys are worried but stop blowing things out of proportion."

The others faltered. What Cera and Chomper said made some sense. Verter's fixation on training could be out of the interest of protecting his friends' family. He was rather aggressive about it but that wasn't too far from what they knew of normal threehorn behavior. Verter still felt weird but Cera and Chomper did spend far more time with him. Maybe here, the gang were being out of line. Still, Littlefoot had other concerns.

"You don't need to go this far for us," he said. "We mightn't even deal with this killer. We should let the grownups handle this."

"You know our luck." Chomper replied. "We shouldn't take the chance."

"But we small." Petrie said. "Can we do anything against killer?"

"We did something about the many sharpteeth we came across." Cera retorted. "This will help us be even better at that."

"But this Threehorn Ascension stuff sounds a bit too big for us kids." Littlefoot said. "Especially you, Chomper. You're so young. Maybe you should-"

"No!" Chomper shook his head. "I'm tired of being weak! There've been too many close calls. I – I've got to protect you!"

Littlefoot and the others started. This outburst was so unexpected that they couldn't help but stare.

"Oh Chomper." Ducky said. "You are still worried about your size? I thoughts you got over that."

"What?" Chomper said. "When did I ever do that?"

"When the two of us were trapped on that cliff with Thud."

Chomper blinked.

"After we accidentally came into the Mysterious Beyond while exploring the Secret Caverns." Ducky elaborated.

He still looked blank.

"When Red Claw and his fast biters chased us up a cliff, and an earthshake separated us from our friends." she continued. "Thud's tail was trapped in rocks. After our friends saved us, you freed him because you said you were the bigger sharptooth."

"Oh. That's…" Closing his eyes, Chomper rubbed his temples. "I think I remember something like that happening?"

"You think?" Cera repeated. "I thought being noble enough to get one of our enemies to spare us would be something that would stick in the mind. Didn't you also get over it when we unblocked that river with Mo?"

Chomper shook his head. "You – you can't expect me to remember everything. Besides, solving an issue a few times doesn't mean it won't come up again."

Even if that made sense, Littlefoot was uneased. Suddenly, he wondered why Chomper's confusion reminded him of Hyp and his posse's puzzlement when they couldn't recall their kinder moments.

"Is this interrogation over now?" Cera said. "We're tired. We're not going to quit, so can you please drop it?"

"If you say so." Littlefoot sighed. "Just be careful. You won't be of any help if you actually get hurt."

Reluctantly, the pair nodded. Cera shifted restlessly, like she bit on something sour. Looking a bit embarrassed about his outburst, Chomper coughed.

"Anyway, since we'll be busy with training, we might not be around much," he said. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Littlefoot smiled. "You're always welcome to be here while you can. The rest of you guys sound busy too. I was kind of hoping we could hang out with Patty, show you what she's been teaching me, but…"

Even as he sort of expected this, the sight of Petrie, Ruby, Ducky and Spike averting their gazes made his spirits deflate a bit.

"That does sound like fun," Ducky said, "but we want to talk to Tega again."

Cera blinked. "Wait, who?"

"A grumpy spiketail me and Spike made friends with today." Ducky exchanged glances with her brother. "We are still confused about how selfishness works and we want to be less confus-ed."

"Me and Petrie are going to be occupied too." Ruby said. "Trying to get better at thinking and observing will take more than one day with Don around."

"Wait, Don?" Chomper cried. "The-"

"The one who threw rocks at us, yes." Petrie said, exasperated by the repeated question. He sighed. "It do take a lot of time to figure out why someone do bad thing and how to find them. So, we won't be round much."

"Should you be doing that?" Cera stared at them with concern. "I mean, forget about us, you two seem like the ones getting involved in something dangerous."

"Don't worry." Ruby said hastily. "We only plan on debating, observing, and learning all we can. We only plan to do it at Petrie's home. Me and Petrie believe this is as important as your training. We don't plan on looking for any trouble, really."

She and Petrie nodded. Cera and Chomper stared at them with intense worry but Ruby and Petrie met them with determined and resolute gazes. After some seconds, Cera sighed.

"You'd better be careful, alright?" she muttered.

Chomper touched Ruby's arm. "Yeah. I don't want you to get hurt."

Ruby softened. "We don't want to get hurt either. We'll won't take any risks. Sorry about this, Littlefoot."

"We can make some time to be with you." Ducky said quickly, with the others nodding. "It would depend on if we have time and if our new friends or parents say yes, but we will try, we will, we will. I know you wanted it to be all day, so…" she fidgeted

Littlefoot shook his head and smiled. "No, it's great we're all occupying ourselves. This is a sad time. We'll just need to make good with the time we do have together."

"Oh. Okay." Ducky said, relieved. "But what do we do in that short time?"

"We need to play something really great to make that short time fun." Petrie said.

"Nothing too physical." Cera said. "Some of us are too tired to move, remember?"

"What can we play that's a lot of fun but doesn't involve a lot of moving?" Ruby muttered. She hummed, tapping her cheek. Slowly, she smiled. "How does Pointy Seed bowling sound?"

The proposal got instant attention.

"Oh, oh!" Chomper waved a hand up. "I want to do that!"

"Me too." Cera smirked. "Just be prepared to lose."

"Hey, you won't win if me win first." Petrie challenged.

"Neither of you will win if I knock down more cones." Littlefoot said.

"No one will win if I push the rock better, no, no, no." Ducky laughed.

Spike nudged Ducky and shook his head with a "nuh-uh," giggling. They all eyed each other, some smirking competitively. Littlefoot shook his head fondly.

"C'mon guys, let's gather the seeds and rock," he said. "We have a game to play."

There were cheers and they spread out. Soon several pointy seeds and a rock were acquired, and the game began. The air was filled with ha's and the shushing sound of a stone being kicked through the grass. Patty walked closer to watch, chuckling as some hopped forward to wind up a kick while others charged with exaggerated aggression, voices raised as the others called out. There were cheers or groans depending on the score but no one cared. With the evening warm and balmy, the rumbling feet of passersby, and the sound of someone coughing, it was like another playful day in the Great Valley. Littlefoot and the others knew otherwise, but this could be a rare time in the next few days they could be together. No matter what might be happening now, they were determined to have fun to the fullest.

* * *

The bright circle had set by the time Patty escorted the gang to their parents (and in Ruby and Chomper's case, dropped them off at their cave). Littlefoot had waved each of them off. He had noticed Mr. Threehorn and Tria look Cera over and talk to her quietly but he managed to bid her farewell all the same. When they had got back to their spot on the hill, he had offered to resume practice but she waved him off, saying he had been working all day and needed to relax. This left him sitting next to Patty, ears pricked and gaze occasionally swiveling about with the air of someone always on the lookout for danger. The minutes ticked by and the stars twinkled in one by one, but still he saw no sign of his grandparents.

"I'm sure they're okay." Patty said. She didn't look at him but continued her watch, speaking with assurance. "They said they wouldn't take unnecessary risks."

"Unless it involves me." Littlefoot sighed. "But you're right. They're probably just being held up."

Nevertheless, his nervousness remained. He tried to remain calm but gradually the paranoid voice that came whenever loved ones were separated in times of danger arose, stirring up images in his mind: a sudden rockslide bearing down on his grandparents; their large forms scrambling on a cliff; a large silhouette, large and imposing, standing in their path with ill intent…

He was set at ease when the shapes of Grandpa and Grandma Longneck emerged from the darkness, tired but unharmed. Relief entered their gazes when they saw him and they picked up their pace to meet them.

"Sorry we're late." Grandpa Longneck panted. "Coordinating the meetings and searches took until the last minute."

"That's okay." Patty said. "Me and Littlefoot were relaxing from a fun day. His friends even stopped by to play. Were you able to determine the cause of death?"

The grandparents looked at one another, as though considering whether to divulge that information. Grandma Longneck sighed.

"It's likely this is a murder," she said. "With Mr. Thicknose's help, we managed to determine that some of the markings on Mr. Clubtail could only have been inflicted by another dinosaur shortly before his fall. We have been spending the remaining time of light trying to track down his trail."

"If nothing else, that Verter is observant." Patty muttered. She was frowning. "It took that long to determine it was a murder?"

"We wanted to be absolutely sure before we make an announcement." Grandpa Longneck said. "Unfortunately, being diligent with our facts meant we didn't have much time to determine who did it. We quickly lost the drag trail in the grass," he sighed. "Oh, this is going to take many days. Ah well. It would have been a stroke of luck if we found the killer in a single day."

Patty smiled. "I'm sure you'll find clues eventually. This killer is mortal – he can't possibly cover everything up."

"That's right," he rallied. "This won't last forever. I can only hope this killer won't be inclined to target anyone else in the meantime…"

"Patty!"

They all jumped. There were a rumble of footsteps and the sound of someone calling out.

"Patty, where are you?" the voice continued. "Come back, it's night. The herd leader has said before to return when the bright circle comes down."

"Drat." Patty cursed. "One of the herd leader's underlings. They're quite persistent. Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow morning," she said quickly, walking back. "Can we meet here? Sorry for the rush, but I need to get going."

"Meeting here is fine." Grandma Longneck said. "Go on, we don't want to get you in trouble."

"Thanks. Anyway, see you, Littlefoot."

"Oh, I'd better see you." Littlefoot said playfully.

A smile flickering in, Patty turned and rushed into the night. Shaking his head, Littlefoot walked over to his grandparents. His heart rose as he saw the warmth in their faces. But when he glimpsed the guilt in their eyes, he remembered the blowup this morning and slowed to a crawl. Uncertain, they turned and began their walk to the nest.

"Littlefoot, we're so glad to have you back." Grandma Longneck said finally. "Did you enjoy your time with Patty?"

Littlefoot nodded, staring ahead. "She taught me that fun tail trick you saw earlier. We're planning to practice jumping over other people's tails next."

"I see." Grandpa Longneck said. "That's very generous of her. She has admirably little shame for someone her age." He chuckled. "Why, I don't think I would have had the courage to perform such tricks in public. Even with the sharpteeth and food issues of that time, somehow being embarrassing in front of your pears was still the worst thing in the world."

"I was also thinking…we could try the jumping over others' tail thing too." Littlefoot said, glancing at them.

Grandma Longneck was quiet for a moment. "We'll see. That might be difficult, at our age and with this current responsibility. Still, it's never too late to learn something new."

An awkward silence. Then, with the guilt becoming too much, Littlefoot looked up.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I-"

"Littlefoot, you don't need to say it." Grandpa Longneck sighed. "We're the ones who should apologize. With all these strange happenings, you're under a lot of strain. We should have known talk of the circle of life would be painful for you."

"I still remember how you reacted to it when Grandpa fell ill." Grandma Longneck said. "I should have kept that in mind before we spoke. Pressuring you to accept tragedy can be its own cruelty."

Littlefoot shook his head. "No, I bear some of the blame too. I don't like the circle of life – I still don't – but I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It was just, with Mr. Clubtail being dead – our friend is gone. And, and then-"

"Yes, Littlefoot?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

Littlefoot was blank. He tried searched for something to say. His mouth was dry.

"I – I saw-" Littlefoot gulped. "I didn't mean too, it was only for a few seconds, but I couldn't look away and to see him like that, that he was gone, I got pushed to the edge and – sorry, sorry."

He lowered his head, filled with shame. They all stopped, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck's expressions filled with shock. Then sympathy surged in and they went down to nuzzle him.

"Oh, Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck said. "That must have been horrible."

"We should have spared you from that." Grandpa Longneck said.

They pulled back, leaving Littlefoot uncertain.

"You're not mad?" he asked. "But I looked when I shouldn't have."

"We wish you hadn't," Grandpa Longneck said, "but it's an understandable temptation. We should have moved you kids before you felt tempted to."

"But we were so distressed by our friend's passing that it didn't occur to us." Grandma Longneck sighed. "Don't worry, Littlefoot. We all make mistakes. Just try not to do it again."

"I don't want to." Littlefoot looked away. "Thanks for what you said about the circle of life. I know it comforts you – but I was telling the truth when I said I didn't like it."

Grandma Longneck hesitated. "We can stop mentioning it if you want."

"That would be nice – but I don't want to burden you. I just want to make you be happy. I wish I can now."

For a moment, only rumbling steps filled the air. Littlefoot stared miserably at the grass. Here he was, burdening their lives with more problems. Some grandson he was. Then he felt gentle nudges and he looked up to see his grandparents' smiling faces.

"You already have." Grandpa Longneck said. "Just making up with you is enough. Don't worry, we'll drop the subject."

Grandma Longneck nodded. "As long as you're happy, we're happy. We'll be willing to keep circle of life talk between the two of us."

"Oh – you sure? T-that's just-" Littlefoot was filled with guilt and relief. He closed his eyes. "Thank you."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck chuckled and nuzzled him again. Littlefoot felt a surge of affection. Really, he was blessed to have the greatest grandparents in the world.

"And speaking of happy," Grandma Longneck tone shifted, "how did you spend your time with Patty today? We're very curious. It would lift our spirits to hear about the fun you two had."

"Fun is right." Littlefoot smiled. "Our talk wasn't much fun at fistbut once I offered to be her friend, things really started turning around. And then-"

He continued, waving his head and tail to demonstrate the directions of the conversation and play, lowering himself to show how Patty practiced. Littlefoot was happy to see his grandparents nod and smile at the appropriate parts, completely engrossed in the story. In a burst of silliness, Littlefoot decided to demonstrate the tail trick while walking and wasn't surprised when he fell on his face. Their fond head shakes made all of the embarrassment worth it. By the time they arrived at the nest, he was in a good mood, laying close to his grandparents' heads as they all laid down to rest. He closed his eyes.

"Littlefoot?"

Blinking, Littlefoot raised his head. His grandparents were staring at him seriously.

"We want you to know," Grandpa Longneck continued, "we will find out what happened to Mr. Clubtail."

"We'll make sure the valley can be a place where you children can laugh and smile again." Grandma Longneck said. "Even if Mr. Clubtail will no longer be around…let us worry about the big stuff. Alright?"

Littlefoot stared blearily. Something didn't sit right with him about letting his grandparents take care of all the dangerous hurdles. But he yawned and said. "Alright."

And he lowered his eyelids and joined his grandparents in sleep, content to let someone else take care of the grownup problems for once.

* * *

Earlier that evening, there was coughing. Tega stood in the trees' shadows, hacking her lungs out. With each cough, leaves and grass flew out her mouth. They were forceful. It was exhausting to stay standing. In that moment, they felt like they would go on forever. Gradually, though, her systems cleared and she wiped her mouth as she took a wheezing breath. For a moment, she glanced at the regurgitated plant matter with something like displeasure but focused her gaze ahead.

Littlefoot and his friends were out in the field. They took turns kicking a rock at pointy seeds, Littlefoot occasionally providing dramatic commentary. His friends groaned, some of them attempting to cut him off with their own narration while they took score and shouted encouragement. Win or lose, they appeared to be having a wonderful time. Not far off, Patty stood guard, watching with fond amusement.

Tega examined the children. Raising a paw, she counted them one by one. Pausing, she counted again. Taking her time to really consider matters, she smiled.

"I can see why Wing Father is interested in these kids," she said.

 **Next time…**

 **New Routines**

* * *

 **Note:** Sorry for the delay. There was more to correct than I thought and I deviated from my rewrite routine, which left me less focused and indecisive on what to change. No promises, but I hope to get the next two chapters out by the end of August.

 **7/14 note:** I just realized I completely forgot to add in margins. That must have made reading scene transitions a bit more confusing. Whoops!


	13. New Routines Part 1

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 13: New Routines Part 1**

"Angle your head like that Tria. Yes, that's it…"

Tria stepped back. Cera and Tricia sat next to Mr. Threehorn as they watched him sternly instruct his mate on how to attack the boulder that had inexplicably rolled into this clearing far from any mountains long ago. Tricia sat on Cera's foreleg, the sisters chewing leaves almost in tune as the three watched Tria.

Taking a deep breath, Tria charged and her horns crashed into the boulder. There was a spray of rocks and gravel. Shaking her head, Tria backed away and they assessed the damage. So far, less than a quarter of the boulder had been broken, pieces ranging from the size of Cera's horn to her head scattered about. Tria panted, sweat tracing lines in the dust on her hide.

"Ah, I see the training bug's catching."

Verter strolled in, giving a nod to Mr. Threehorn. Chomper followed in the former's wake. He waved to Cera and Tricia, but didn't get any closer. With Tricia so young, they didn't want to leave her with the impression it was okay to approach sharpteeth. Mr. Threehorn looked up and smiled. Cera thought his gaze lingered on Chomper's few cuts and bruises, but his eyes flicked back to Verter so fast she wondered if she imagined it.

"You could say that, Verter." Mr. Threehorn greeted. "I think she's doing fair so far."

Verter examined Tria's handiwork. "What's with the training interest all of a sudden?"

"Well, you heard about our family's penchant for danger." Tria said, stepping back. "After one too many near misses, I thought my husband shouldn't do most of the fighting. If even Cera and Chomper are contributing, I shouldn't be standing by."

Verter watched as she backed a few paces and rammed into the boulder again, spraying more rocks onto the ground.

"Well, good luck with that." He smiled. "Cera, come on. It's time for us to work up a sweat."

"Okay." Cera said, reluctantly pulling her foot from Tricia as she stood.

"Oh, don't be in a rush, Verter." Mr. Threehorn waved his head invitingly. "Sit down. Press the grass."

"I'm afraid I can't waste time." Verter said. "To prepare for this threat, these two need to get trained as quickly as possible."

"I know, but it feels like a waste for you to be here and we don't spend any time together. Shouldn't we at least catch up a little?"

Verter hesitated. He smiled. "Well…for old time's sake. Cera, Chomper, jog around the clearing while me and papa threehorn have a chat."

"Alright." Chomper said. "Come on, Cera."

"Don't 'come on, Cera' me." Cera said. "I'll lead the way."

Chomper laughed but waved for her to walk alongside him.

"Tria, get used to ramming the boulder at that angle," Mr. Threehorn said.

"Right, Topsy."

As she and Chomper walked away, Cera couldn't help glancing back. Tria had retreated and rammed the boulder again and then again, blue eyes unusually sharp. Cera winced. Tria was so sweet, so joyful in life's little pleasures. It didn't feel right she was throwing this much seriousness into learning how to protect them. It was only another sign of how abnormal everything had become. Shaking herself, Cera joined Chomper in working up for a morning jog.

Verter sat beside Mr. Threehorn. For a moment, they allowed the sound of Tria's grunts and the crackle of the boulder to wash over them, soon joined by the fading in and out of Cera and Chomper's footsteps and panting. Tricia padded over and leaned on Mr. Threehorn's foreleg, closing her eyes at the contact.

"Your wit was missed yesterday." Mr. Threehorn said finally. "It would have made the situation with Mr. Clubtail more tolerable."

"If I did that, I might have hit a nerve and been accused of not taking the situation seriously." Verter said. "You know the situation. I have to train those two."

Mr. Threehorn nodded, watching Tria work. "How are they doing?"

"I told you yesterday. It's only a first day but they are doing splendid. I've rarely seen children so young be so dedicated." Verter smirked. "What, losing your memory at your old age?"

"No. Just," Mr. Threehorn continued staring ahead, "Cera let slip about the vine you use yesterday."

Verter frowned. "Topps…"

"Don't see this as an issue of trust. It's only natural we would check on our daughter after training. Though whipping…it seem we were right to be worried."

"That is just to urge them on." Verter said. "I'm not actually hitting them."

"But we noticed some markings on her. And Chomper as well." Mr. Threehorn replied. "This isn't something we expected with the training you were talking about."

"I just need to get back into the groove of using the vine. You remember our training when we were younger, harshness like that is normal."

"But we agreed it wouldn't be this harsh. They are children, they have limits. And I see how tired you are making them. You're giving them the proper amounts of breaks, right?"

"I am." Verter said. "Of course the first few days would be exhausting. They just need some time to acclimate to the routine."

"I know. Still…" Mr. Threehorn sighed. "We didn't know all the details. Maybe we were too quick to agree to this."

Verter raised his head. "Are seriously thinking of calling this off?"

Mr. Threehorn met his eye. "I would if my daughter and her friend are at risk."

"Since when was Chomper your child?" Verter said. "Will you indulge in their short-term comfort to push aside their long term needs?"

"I'm thinking about their long term wellbeing." Mr. Threehorn said. "You weren't exactly honest about the level of training this would be."

"I thought we agreed on the level of training. Friends should trust each other, Topps. Is this one of Tria's silly whims?"

"No, I share her worries. If Cera and Chomper are at risk, we might have to put a stop to this."

Verter got to his feet. "That's irresponsible!"

Mr. Threehorn stood up as well. "What would be irresponsible is letting two children take on responsibilities that are above them!"

"Is it really responsible to let a sharptooth child live here undisciplined and not have them be prepared when the killer could strike at any second?!"

They glared at each other, tense and ready to lock horns. Then a voice called near Mr. Threehorn's foot. Tricia was pawing at her father, looking between him and Verter nervously and warbling pleadingly. Verter watched as Mr. Threehorn's anger started out of him and he lowered his head to trace his muzzle across her side.

"You – you have a point." Mr. Threehorn sighed. "Chomper does needs to be kept in check. And with this killer around and how adventures the children can be, they need to be prepared. I don't like it but it's necessary. This must be the parent in me talking. It can override the thinking part of my brain."

Verter looked at him with surprise. "Well, that was quick. I didn't expect you to give in so quickly."

"Tricia woke me up." Mr. Threehorn nuzzled her again, her little form relaxing and curling against him. "I didn't want to start a fight while my youngest daughter was underfoot."

There had been an abating in the rock cracking and Tria looked at them in concern.

"Everything alright over there?" she called.

"Don't worry, we've settled things." Mr. Threehorn replied. "Just go back to doing what you're doing."

Tria still looked uncertain but she nodded and went back to ramming her boulder. Verter watched Mr. Threehorn, something flickering in his expression.

"Hmm." Verter sat down. "You sure have changed. I still remember a time you would be willing to fight no matter the time or place to deal with a spoiled upstart."

"I know." Mr. Threehorn's lips twitched. "I still get the urge now and then but at my age, I need to choose my battles."

"I can understand the sentiment. At our age, you have to become more thoughtful about conflict." Verter smirked. "Youth was a simpler time. Remember that time someone said you passed the Threehorn Ascension test on a fluke? Oh, did you show him."

"Yeah." Mr. Threehorn smirked. "I plowed him into the ground. It was so satisfying to see him get up embarrassed."

"Right?" Verter chuckled. "Oh, and there was that time an idiot challenged us on a route to a green glen. No matter what we said, he insisted he was right. After a long day of fighting, it was great to see you bend his horns and make him squeal in surrender."

"It sure was. Oh, the faces he made when we made him eat the least appetizing green food at the glen. Priceless." Mr. Threehorn chuckled. "Oh, do you also remember how I won a contest of strength? The guy was overconfident but I overpowered him and kept him from getting up until he admitted I was the stronger one. Seeing the look of humiliation on his face was worth all the cuts and bruises that came with fighting him."

Verter and Mr. Threehorn laughed, old and familiar as they went through fond memories.

"I hear you still fight from time to time." Verter said. "I'm sure you can keep up the good work."

"Maybe." Mr. Threehorn looked away. "But that is frowned upon around here. With so many different kinds and ways, we usually have to talk out our problems."

"Oh, that's rough." Verter said, sympathetic. "To be faced with an absolute moron and not be able to do anything but argue them into submission must be torture."

"No kidding." Mr. Threehorn sighed. "Still, at least my daughters don't have to be exposed to that kind of violence. They can enjoy life here without having to worry about a fight breaking out or seeing blood spilled."

"Hmm." Verter watched Tria crack into the boulder, leaving less than half of it left. He smiled. "Well, we saw a lot of fighting as kids and turned out alright."

Mr. Threehorn snorted. "I'm not sure alright's the right word. I still remember the blood my mother spilled to protect her territory. And what the herd leader did to that one guy…I'm amazed we had any childhood at all."

"We still got up to a lot of mischief." Verter chuckled, looking up in reminiscence. "The stunts you would pull even during the Time of the Great Growing…there was that time you raced the other guys and tricked them into jumping into a mud pool. Oh, the grownups would be mad when they caught us."

"If they caught us." Mr. Threehorn smirked. "I don't think they ever found out why the water turned them blue."

Verter nodded. "I can't forget one time in my youth when I attempted to push some rocks uphill, they rolled off and almost hit some kids downhill. Oh, did I get hit behind the tail when the grownups found out."

Mr. Threehorn winced. "Yeah, I got some of that when I was young. There was worse during the Time of Great Growing. Grownups weren't very forgiving back then. It was understandable. Those were harsh times and to maintain order, there had to have consequences you would remember. "

"Yes." Verter nodded with satisfaction. "You could be harsh to anyone who crossed the line and everyone knew their place. It was tough but we lived it. I'm sure your daughters would've been fine in that environment."

"Maybe." Mr. Threehorn frowned. "I don't regret a lot of what happened. But it's good the valley doesn't need to deal with that kind of violence."

"But can you see those times were better, even with the pain, even with-"

"There were good times," Mr. Threehorn interrupted, "but they have ended. All that harsh behavior was to survive but in the valley, that isn't necessary. In some ways, I'm glad. Now my family can lead better lives than we had."

"I see." Verter said. He was looking away. "Well, it's good to have a life where your family can relax. That has…value." He got to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be off."

"What?" Mr. Threehorn double-taked. "Oh, oh. Well, don't let me keep you. Look after Cera and Chomper for us."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they're well taken care of." Verter looked back. "Good luck with training that mate of yours. Your daughter might be a bit late getting home but I'll be sure she arrives before sleepy-bye time."

"Sure. I know I've annoyed you with our concerns but thanks for all you're doing Verter."

There was a nod and a flicker of a smile but Verter was already walking away, calling for Cera and Chomper to jog with him back to the fighting grounds. For a second, Mr. Threehorn's eyes lingered on their distancing figures, at a loss for the abrupt departure. A crackle made him turn. Tria had stepped back, catching her breath, the boulder in front of her reduced to more than a quarter of its size. Shifting, he forced a smile and tried to focus.

"Good going, Tria. Next strategy. How about-"

While Mr. Threehorn may have taken his eyes off Verter, someone else hadn't. Sitting atop a high pine, Don watched Verter jog by with his panting charges. Barely paying attention to the two gossiping flyers on a branch below, he gripped his mount harder.

"For Wing Father's sake," Don said, "you'd better not harm them."

* * *

"Just a little higher. Yeah, that's the way."

Littlefoot laughed as he jumped along. Patty was carefully swinging the tip of her tail over Littlefoot's feet in slow, relaxed loops. He stumbled a bit at the next pass but upon Patty's concerned look, he shook his head and motioned for her to continue.

They were at another location. They still stood in the open but near the Great Wall. There was a thick line of bright green trees and bushes pressed into that area but there wasn't any room for more than a rainbowface-sized dinosaur to hide in. With their view of the rest of their surroundings, only interrupted by the occasional skinny tree or collection of bushes, Patty assured it would be safe spot to play.

After practicing a bit with jumping over their own tails that morning, they decided to move on to jumping over people's tail. Practicing with Patty's tail, Littlefoot was now back to tripping again. He wasn't surprised. Having to coordinate with someone else's tail was more challenging than coordinating with your own. Still, Littlefoot was making some progress and he was having a good time.

"Good, good." Patty continued as she swished her tail. "You're a quick learner."

"That's because – I have – a good teacher." Littlefoot panted, after each jump. "Thanks for being – patient with me."

"You don't need to keep thanking me. I'm only doing what I want. Besides, I had a lot of time to be patient and…"

She trailed off. Littlefoot found himself staggering as the tail stopped behind him. Seeing her gaze fixed toward the line of trees, Littlefoot turned. Two cresthead swimmers were shoving each other as they darted between the trees, creaking tree limbs ominously as they pushed them aside. Even as he watched, they broke off two thick branches billowing with greens and laughed as they swung them at one another, nearly unbalancing as their feet caught on a root and stomped bushes flat. Patty's mouth became thin.

"What are you doing? Don't be careless with the plants!"

The cresthead swimmers stopped their mock duel, the leaves of their makeshift weapons pressing into the grass as they glanced at Patty with confusion.

"What's your problem, lady?" One cresthead asked.

"You shouldn't be wasting food like that." Patty said. "With the branches you broke, there will be less leaves to grow on the trees and bushes."

The other cresthead scrunched his nose. "Don't get so bent out of shape. There's plenty of green food in the valley. Breaking a few branches isn't going to hurt anyone."

"But it's those small actions imitated by so many others that can endanger a valley, especially when scarcity comes." Patty stepped forward. "Get some sense and have fun in less destructive ways."

The crestheads examined her, annoyed. Then they jumped as an angry female voice rang out in the distance.

"Hey, did I say you boys can run off? Come back! Did you already forget there's a killer on the loose?"

Looking a mix of scared and mutinous, one looked at his companion.

"C'mon Cory," he said. "We can't stick around."

"Yeah. We weren't going to have fun around here anyway." Cory grimaced, throwing his branch to the ground. "Freaking newbies."

His companion also dropping a branch, the pair hassled off toward the voice. Patty's gaze burned after them. Concerned, Littlefoot stepped closer.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm …" Patty took a breath, closing her eyes and opening them to reveal calm. "Sorry for snapping. After seeing everyone scraping for a living in the Mysterious Beyond, it makes me mad to see people waste."

"Hey, I get it." Littlefoot replied. "I still remember living in the Mysterious Beyond. I cringe whenever I see someone crush a bush or topple a tree."

She grimaced. "I'm amazed this valley still has greens available with that kind of attitude. Has there been any food crises?"

"Oh, a few. Not caused by people being careless but I'm sure that didn't help. The Thundering Falls block up, the swarming leaf gobblers, the white sparkles during cold times…but the valley always bounces back."

"Really?" Patty widened an eye. "After all of that, the valley is always plentiful, even with that behavior around?"

Littlefoot shrugged helplessly. "There just always seems to be enough. After a disaster, it takes only a few night circle cycles to recover. Sometimes it takes a cold time but it always gets better. I always just accepted it but now that you mention it," he frowned, "it is strange."

Patty looked around, considering their surroundings. An understanding came into her eyes.

"Is this one of those places?" she murmured. "So it really is as said…"

"You have an idea what it's about?" Littlefoot asked.

"I've heard a theory. I didn't believe it but…" Patty said. "You know dinosaurs can shape the environment, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Littlefoot said, puzzled. "That was why you were so mad at those two. If we break too many plants, we could break the valley."

"Those are physical influences. I've also heard," she shifted, "beliefs and emotions can impact the environment."

Littlefoot tilted his head. Patty stood taller, circling on the spot and waving her head.

"Look around you," she said. "What do you see? A great number of dinosaurs, most recent arrivals but more than a few I guess who've lived here for generations, eating, relaxing, and enjoying their lives in the valley."

"Not recently." Littlefoot looked around. "These ghosts have got everyone spooked and with this killer…"

Patty winced. "A-anyway, I'd guess the normal mood around here is contentment. There has been a consistent population of happy dinosaurs here for a long time. But most of the world isn't like that. Most don't stay in one place long enough for an impact to be made and their emotions aren't usually strong enough to effect the environment. However, if enough people stay long enough in one location, their emotions can seep in and begin to influence the area."

"But if I'm in a good mood, that isn't strong enough to effect things," he said. "I mean, I can't make a flower bloom by smiling at it."

"As much as I want you to believe in yourself, you're probably right." She smiled. "But it's more than that. Normally, it's hard to get everyone to feel a certain way consistently but with the Great Valley, there is a good reason for them to be content. There is enough green food to go around and they rarely have to worry about sharpteeth. After dinosaurs first settled here, this must have elicited a strong sense of goodwill. And when that seeped into the earth, the next time the plants grew back, it would be just a little faster and the sharpteeth would find it a little harder to get in. That maintains the good will. Before long, that good will sinks back in and the green food grows even faster, and so on and so forth, continuing the cycle. It's the kind of thing that can keep this place going."

For several moments, there was a thoughtful silence. Patty was watching her surroundings, impressed by the existence of this place. Distantly, there was the sound of a stern voice telling off two kids. Dinosaurs continued to pass and lol around. A twocrest walked by with a spikeback, saying. "I can't believe that rumor is being spread. People are suspicious enough of visiting herds without someone stirring up trouble."

"Huh." Littlefoot said. "That is an interesting theory."

Patty gave him a wry look. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"It's not that." Littlefoot said quickly. "It's just I don't know either way. There are a lot of unbelievable things I hear about but I like to keep an open mind. You'd have to ask Cera, she's the disbelieving one. It does explain why the valley rarely has a serious food problem."

He looked around and his mood lowered.

"I wish those who didn't make it like Mother could see what the valley looked like," he said. "So many of us had no idea what such a place really had to offer and I had my ideas but they didn't compare to actually being here for the first time. Some even doubted the valley would be this good. Mother said she could see it with her heart but if she and others could see it like I did, I'm sure they'd be amazed," he sighed. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now."

Patty watched him sympathetically. "It must hurt there are people you couldn't help."

"Kind of, yeah. Looking back, there were many people we passed on our way to the valley who were clearly struggling. I feel guilty we didn't stop to help. I mean, were all trying to survive on our own and squabbling over food and water. If only everyone could have stopped fighting and worked together to get to the Great Valley, then they might have made it."

Littlefoot lowered his head. Patty gave him a brief nuzzle.

"I didn't mean to bring up such painful thoughts," she said. "You did wonderfully with what's possible."

"I know." Littlefoot sighed. "I wish it wasn't like this…but I know."

Patty sighed. "Sometimes we have to make hard decisions in order to survive."

Littlefoot averted his gaze. "And sometimes we make decisions that make you really question what you can do."

Patty looked at him speculatively, and he realized how strange that response sounded. Hastily, he shook his head.

"Anyway, let's get back to tail jumping," he said. "That's better than talking about this depressing stuff, right?"

Patty examined him before smiling. "Right. I don't know if this talk counts as rest but I think we regained enough energy to resume."

"Yeah. Though I'm a little hungry." Littlefoot glanced at the line of trees. "Say, why don't we eat from plants those crestheads messed up. It would make sure the food isn't wasted."

"That's a wonderful idea. Though you have your fill. I don't need any."

"Really?" Littlefoot glanced at her with confusion. "You've been really working at it with your tail. That must take some energy."

"I'm fine." Patty insisted. "I ate enough this morning before meeting up with you. I know how to eat in a way to make it really last. I can always eat later."

Littlefoot tilted his head. "Okay. You rarely seem tired."

A smile flickered on her muzzle. "Let's say I'm very good at being on the go. Though speaking of those on the go…"

"What?" Littlefoot asked.

Patty hesitated but shook her head and smiled. "Never mind. It's not important now. Anyway, eat up. I'll be practicing the right speed to spin my tail until you get yourself filled up."

Puzzled, Littlefoot nevertheless nodded, dragged a branch over, and started feasting, his thoughts far from the worries of the day and more toward the fun that carefully spinning tail promised.

* * *

"Hit that rock, come on, really hit it!"

Cera staggered back from her latest strike before shaking herself and rushing forward. She and Chomper were back in the fighting grounds, practicing against new rocks. Only the murmurs of passersby broke their solitude, those fighters from yesterday having never showed up. She concentrated on damaging the rock in front her with as few strikes as possible. She thought she was making some progress. More parts of the rock were breaking away with each hit. Maybe she was on a good wind or the rock was weak but she couldn't help but be pleased by the results.

There was a smack beside her. "Ow!"

Cera glanced to her right as she walked backwards. Chomper had hit the rock with his muzzle and cried out, blinking as he stepped back and touched a cut under his left nostril. He winced.

"Chomper, is that the best you got?" Verter cried.

Chomper shook his head and glared at the rock before almost launching himself for the latest strike. She bit back a sigh. Chomper had been throwing his all into the training ever since it started. Though he got tired and even hurt a few times, he always got back up, insisting they continue. Really, Cera was impressed. His kind, almost naïve nature belied a brave soul willing to do anything for those he cared about. It was understandable Verter would want to nurture it.

Though did he have to give all of his attention to Chomper?

"Harder, Chomper! Go at it like it's your most hated enemy!"

Cera glared as she prepared to charge again. She glimpsed Verter staring in Chomper's direction, barely looked her way. She struggled with the mixed feelings in her stomach. Really, it made sense Verter mightn't be giving her much focus. Cera was a born threehorn, used to this kind of hard work and repetition. Chomper on the other hand had rarely dealt with anything like these threehorn exercises and they were unfamiliar with the sharptooth routine. It was understandable Verter would put more focus in learning about Chomper and encouraging him onward. As yesterday's talk showed, Verter had at least some method for his eccentricities. He would get back to her eventually. Even if Cera understood, that didn't mean she had to like it.

In the hubbub of pebbles and fragments bursting from her rock, she heard a similar rocky crackle beside her.

"Harder, harder!"

Cera heard a growl of frustration. Backing up for the umpteenth time, she lowered her head and charged at her fastest rate yet. There was an almighty crack and much of the rock crumbled. A few twinges of pain in her face and horn made her wince but she only felt pride until she heard the scream.

"Aaah!"

Cera jerked around. Chomper lay curled near his rock, gripping his head while rock fragments were dotted around him. Heart skipping, she scampered over and swept away the debris to look him over.

"Chomper, are you okay?" she demanded. "Chomper!"

Chomper groaned. "Hurts. My head hurts!"

A look up confirmed he managed to knock some decent bits off his rock but at the cost of a red sore and some scrapes on his head. Gritting her teeth, Cera glared up as Verter rumbled over.

"What are you playing at?" she snapped. "You're egging him on got him hurt!"

Wincing, Verter looked away. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what his limits were."

"I thought you knew how to handle training others!"

"I said I know how to train adult threehorns. I don't know much about sharpteeth."

Chomper rocked on the ground, hands on temples. "Hurts…"

Cera sighed and glanced down. "You at least know how to treat wounds?"

Verter nodded. "That is simple enough. I'll be right back."

He ran off, leaving her to stand awkwardly beside Chomper, who lay curled in a ball. A part of her felt guilty she ever had an envious thought about him. She tried to be reasonable about Verter in her head, that training was naturally dangerous and everyone made mistakes, but she couldn't help a smidgen of doubt opening in her stomach. With the sound of ripping branches and splashes in the background, Cera moved a paw as though to stroke him but with how he winced thought better of it. Verter charged back in.

"Put these on his wounds." Verter dropped wet leaves beside her. "They'll clean them and the cool will calm him."

Cera nodded. She grabbed one leaf with her mouth to put on Chomper's head but he pulled away.

"I'm alright. Let's continue training."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Those cuts are bad. They need to be treated."

"But we can't waste time. I must keep going."

"If you collapse from your wounds, you won't be able to keep training at all." Cera said impatiently. "Where would that leave us? Now sit still and take it."

Chomper sighed but stayed still as told, twitching as a wet leaf stung into his head wound and a few other smaller cuts. She layered others on, making him look like he wore a wet green mushroom on his head. Verter sighed.

"I guess now would be a good a time as any to take a break," he said. "We'll eat until Chomper's healed enough to continue. Can you carry him to the forest edge, Cera?"

"If I must." Cera turned to stare Chomper in the eye. "Don't even think about saying that you can walk. You are riding me and don't make a fuss. Understand?"

"Okay, okay." Chomper said, sulky. "Guess I have to be bossed around."

Ignoring that remark, Cera leaned in and Verter helped shift Chomper onto her back. He was heavier than Ducky or Petrie but it was weight she could handle. She walked with steady steps as she followed Verter to the edge, where he got them into the shade and started looking around.

"Don't move," he said. "I'll forage for food."

"Sorry I'm making you look for bugs." Chomper muttered.

"It's nothing." Verter assured. "You're too valuable to deny a meal. Finding bugs is no big deal."

He began browsing the area, faint foot booms shushed as he paused and visually traced the outlines of the leaves, the bark of the trees, the silhouette of the grass. Cera sat down, taking this opportunity to relax. She glanced at Chomper. He sat slumped next to her, frustrated eyes looking at the earth. This was concerning. Chomper was a happy, sweet-tempered child and this level of anger was beyond him. She glanced at him, hesitated, but took the chance.

"You were really going at it with that rock," she said.

"We're supposed to go hard on them." Chomper said. "That's what this training is about."

"But you were going at it like it insulted your mommy. Hard to train when acting like that."

Verter chuckled. "And if there's one thing that would motivate us fighting kinds, it's besmirching the one who gave birth to us. Seriously, she has a point."

Chomper looked up. He almost glared at them but something in him broke and he sighed. "I know. But what am I supposed to do? I need to make sure I don't fall behind but no matter what I do, I…"

"You're doing fine, Chomper." Verter said, pulling at a few leaves from a high branch. "Not many can do what you're doing. You're getting stronger at your own pace."

"But I can't go 'at my own pace' when there's a killer around. I'm trying to be faster but that I'm not able to keep up with Cera in running or even rock breaking is-"

Chomper thumped a foot into the ground. Cera looked at him speculatively.

"Is this size thing really bothering you?" she asked.

"It's not about my size." Chomper said. "It's just…I want to help you guys. I want to do more."

"From what I hear, you helped your friends plenty of times with your sniffer and sharptooth language." Verter said.

"That isn't good enough. I hate not being able to do much when my friends get endangered. After everything you all have done for me, it wouldn't be right for me to sit back, especially after-" he stopped, glancing down awkwardly.

"What?" Cera asked. "Especially what?" At Chomper's hesitation, she said. "Come on, I won't laugh. We won't be able to understand what's going on if you don't tell us."

There were whispers to the side. Verter looked up and a longcrest swimmer and clubtail hidden behind some foliage a bit ahead stopped talking to stare at him. He offered a smile, but they turned and walked away.

"She's right," he said, shaking his attention back to the pair. "If this issue is effecting your training, it doesn't sound like the kind of thing to laugh about. Come on, tell us."

Cera nodded. Chomper looked between them, hesitating, but he exhaled slowly and met their eyes.

"I'm also doing this for my parents," he said. "I'm a weirdo sharptooth who likes being nice and seeking friends even in our food, but they accepted me. They were troubled about the seeking friends in food part, but as long I could be tough and smart enough to survive, they allowed me to be who I am. They comforted me after other sharpteeth made fun of me and when I got lonely. They wanted me to be happy. They even fought Red Claw when he got angry me and Ruby's families were friends but then they got hurt and…"

"Chomper," Cera's gaze was sympathetic, "it's not your fault. There was nothing you could do."

"That's the problem!" Chomper threw his hands up. "Our families were friends because me and Ruby became friends. My parents fought to keep us together. That I couldn't do anything but watch is…" He took a breath. "The least I could do is make sure no one else has to fight my battles. If they knew I could really take care of myself…at least they might be happy."

"Huh." Verter's eyes were raised thoughtfully. "You sharpteeth go through a lot more than I thought."

Cera nodded. "Was this eating at you this whole time?"

"A little." Chomper admitted. "But not until these past few days. It's just, with these ghosts, they made me realize what's important. You guys have done so much to make sure me and Ruby could stay here. I just can't stand aside and goof around anymore. I have to actually be useful, even if it's hard and the challenges just make me-"

Chomper ripped bits of grass in frustration. Cera looked at him with concern.

"Anger has its place but I don't think this is good for you," she said.

"That's kind of weird for you to say, since you're known for getting angry." Chomper said. "Anger can be good. It can get me focused."

"It's not good all the time. What if it makes you lash out at our friends?"

Verter nodded. "Unfocused anger isn't very useful. Especially with who you are, don't you want to be careful about that it?"

Chomper faltered. He lowered his eyes. "I – I don't want to hurt my friends. But what am I supposed to do with this to keep them safe?"

"You would just need to learn to push aside your emotions." Verter replied. "When I was talking with Topps back there, I was able to shove my worries aside and enjoy being with an old pal. Outside of training, aside from eating right and not getting your neck broken, you should learn to let go of your worries and enjoy the moment. Heck, you need it to sleep more easily. This will help not only focus your anger during training but life in general."

"You think so?" Chomper asked.

Cera nodded. "As my daddy say, manage it carefully and put it to something useful."

"Okay." Chomper sighed but looked determined. "I'll do my best to focus my anger on the training."

There were sighs of relief. Verter broke a stick off a tree and gave it to Chomper, which was covered in bugs. Verter also handed leaves to Cera and they began to eat, Chomper actually looking perked up as he nibbled bugs off.

"I'm glad you two made me see things clearly," he commented. "It is better to fight for our friends instead of with them."

"It usually is." Almost quietly, Cera added. "Boy, did I need to learn that lesson."

Verter glanced at her. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." She averted her gaze.

Verter examined her before gazing around. "Well, not much crawlies around here I can find. I'll go check somewhere else."

"Oh, you don't need to do that." Chomper said. "These will be fine."

"Nonsense! You're training. My trainees need the best food so they can keep going. Won't be long."

With a nod, Verter walked off. Chomper watched him go with a fond smile.

"He's nice," he said. "We're fortunate to have such a good trainer."

Cera narrowed her eyes to where Verter departed. "Maybe. He wasn't so good with getting you injured though."

"Hey, that was my fault." Chomper protested. "I was getting too in the moment."

"I know. Still, even if he is inexperienced with sharpteeth, you would think he would know to be careful with that. He wasn't exactly telling the truth about enjoying being with my dad either. Didn't you hear them yell earlier?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "I just thought that was your dad being your dad. Besides, maybe it's been awhile since Verter trained others?" He looked at her. "Where are all these doubts coming from?"

"I just – oh, I don't know." She shook her head. "I guess it's normal to have doubts the first few days but the way he's been treating you is kind of weird. He was so ready to jump into training us moments after he finding out friendly sharpteeth exist. I don't mean to blow this out of proportion but…do you really trust he knows what he's doing?"

Chomper opened his mouth but uncertainty came in and he rubbed at his chest. They sat in silence until the rumble of a few dinosaurs passing by and whispering came to the fore. Verter came in from that group, bearing some leaves like a cup, gaze troubled.

"Why the long faces?" he asked. "Don't tell me you talked about the meaning of life while I was away."

"Huh? Oh, no!" Chomper started, forcing a laugh. "We were just …thinking about how to train better!" He patted his leaf covering and pumped his arms. "I'm feeling much better now. Still sore but I barely notice it."

Verter surveyed them before smiling. "Well, I have something that might heal things faster." He laid down leaves with crawlers writhing and crawling on top of them. "Here's some of the promised grub. Got them on some good leaves, might as well fill both of my trainees' stomachs."

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Chomper laughed. He licked his lips. "Yum!"

"There are bugs on them?" Cera shuddered. "Gross."

"Don't worry Cera." He pointed to his nose. "My sniffer will make sure your leaves are nice and bug-free before you have a bite."

She sighed. "Just make sure not to leave too much slobber on them."

Verter chuckled. "Once you're done, we'll resume training. We'll avoid any more head ramming to allow Chomper's head time to heal. Speaking of time, Cera…after seeing you help Chomper, I realized I hadn't been paying as much attention to you as I thought. I apologize. You really did some impressive work on that rock. You're both valuable to this mission and I should give you both equal due."

"Huh? Oh, uh, thanks." Cera said, taken aback. "I'll make sure to eat when Chomper finishes the leaves."

Chomper rose from eating to give her a look that said, "See? He knows what he's doing." Cera ignored him as he slurped up bugs from the leaves, some of his cheerful energy returning. Verter watched Chomper sniff around for more bugs before smiling at her. She jerked, forced a grin, and looked away. Now he was here, she felt some guilt. With the substantial threat of Mr. Clubtail's killer, she shouldn't sabotage their training with her suspicions. Her friends' words about Verter rose in her head but she shoved them aside. Once Chomper finished eating, she stepped in and attacked the leaves with the determination to put her all into her training.

But a sliver of doubt remained.

* * *

Ruby stood with Petrie as she watched the various dinosaurs pass by the flyer family nest. The next day had brought a slight ease to the valley residents but most of them still walked cautiously, eyes on the lookout for any sudden movements. In the brief seconds passersby appeared and disappeared amongst the foliage below, she tried to note their body language, what they said if it was audible and with what tone, noting how they acted when another person was in the vicinity. Trying to get a snapshot of each dinosaur's character was a challenge but she had done some of this in the Mysterious Beyond to wile away her days, so it shouldn't be that hard, right?

Even as she tried to note the character of the individuals, her attention couldn't help but stray to how they reacted to others, especially to different kinds. For so many cold times, this diverse intermingling had been her normal but now she tried to pay attention to what made it normal in the first place.

*What is it about the Great Valley that makes my parents and Chomper's parents think is so great?* she mused. *It must be something about how the kinds relate to other kinds. Let's see, that domehead passes the threehorn without growling, that threehorn doesn't glare at the spiketail, the spiketail allows the thicknose to eat from the bush before she does…*

"Please don't space out, Ruby."

Ruby jumped. Don stood nearby, cool gaze on her.

"I'm aware it might be difficult for those your age, but do try to pay attention," he said.

"Of course," she said. "Sorry."

Don harrumphed and walked past. Beside her, Petrie sent a sympathetic look. Beyond the sounds of Don pacing, Ruby could hear the chatter of Petrie's brothers and sister and his parents talking fondly. Ruby thought she saw Petrie's gaze almost waver to the nest but he stared ahead. Ruby's heart stung. As someone separated from her family, she didn't feel it was right he was sacrificing this rare family time to improve his deduction skills for others.

"After minutes of watching," Don said, "I believe it's time to assess what you can say about the people below. Don't look around, just keep watching. When I point to someone, rattle off what you can tell me about them. Ready?" He pointed "That whiptail longneck over there."

"Huh?" Petrie tilted his head. "Oh. He – she have tail raised, walk straightly, and look around. She trying to, um, guard?"

"Okay, but guard for who, what does this say about her?"

"She is trying to guard herself and anyone that's nearby." Ruby said. "She's experienced with living in the Mysterious Beyond, so she knows how to live in times of crises and wants to help."

"Adequate." Don said. "Though the swing of the head does indicate some paranoia. Next: the sprinter in that direction."

"He have a lot of scars." Petrie said. "He look very grumpy. He look like – ooh, he get in lots of fights."

"That is obvious."

"He is probably the type who fights to maintain his pride." Ruby said. "Pride is very important to him, so he will do anything to maintain it."

"Those scars look like they come from punishment for his temper but Ruby's guess is closer –a natural consequence for a kind whose size requires sneakiness."

Ruby frowned. It felt good to be validated but not for that validation to be used to for his generalizations. Petrie glanced up with traces of distress

"Well temper and pride often together, so maybe both," he said.

"But they can be separate." Don said. "The crestless swimmer to your left."

"Oh, she…seems to be thinking about something." Ruby frowned. "Maybe thinking about the killer? She doesn't seem to be paying much attention to her surroundings, so it must be very deep thought."

"Most likely about how this crises impacts her family. She has a motherly look in her eyes."

"What? Oh." Petrie said. "Me – me think me see that…"

"Not bad, not bad." Don said. "The spikeback to the right."

They continued and Ruby kept up as best as she could. Her cold times of observing others in the Mysterious Beyond provided some help but she was discovering many gaps in her knowledge. She had some familiarity with a few kinds but others she barely knew well enough to deduce whether Don's judgement of them had any basis or not. She had to make up for that. But there were so many kinds out there, so many different ways. Though she felt that was what made the world wonderful, Ruby now found it crushing. How was she going to gather the knowledge to save the Mysterious Beyond from Red Claw in time? She pushed those thoughts down to concentrate but the worry remained. Fortunately, Don called a break after a few minutes and they rested their soothed throats.

"You are getting better." Don admitted. His lips twitched. "But you have a long way to go."

"Understood." Ruby said.

Petrie glanced up at her. "You seem to be doing okay."

"Okay isn't good enough," she said. "Good enough is getting better, more quickly."

He looked down. "You still say some good things. Me wonder if me getting better."

"Hey, you are." Ruby put a hand on his back. "This is just the first round, and for a first round, you made some decent observations. We all get better at our own paces."

"Is that a good thing? What if killer able to do bad thing because me too slow to learn how to watch and think?"

"Then practice harder and more frequently." Don said. "Absent of magic, that is the only way to improve."

Petrie sighed. "More people watching? Me hope it works."

Ruby hesitated, but saw that now was a good time to make her suggestion. "Maybe we can improve our observation skills by talking to other dinosaurs. By being up close and personal, we can learn who they are."

Don frowned. "I'm not sure how helpful that is. Dinosaurs do lie to others."

"Even so, a person's own words and actions involving you can help you judge what kind of person they are," she persisted.

"There are still disadvantages," he said. "For Wing Father's sake, people hide parts of themselves, especially with strangers. Do you think many people would be honest or want to talk to you in this climate? If anything, they would be suspicious and not many would want to speak with you."

"That is…" Ruby opened and closed her mouth. "Even with fewer people, it could still be useful. If we hear their reasoning about things, it could expand on how we judge people individually and as part of their kinds."

"Mistruth and deception will still get in the way. Observing them from a distance is better. If they don't know you're watching, they are unguarded and you can judge them without being swayed by how they spin their actions. Some individuals and especially certain kinds love to put a positive light on what they do, especially if it might be suspect."

"That's…" Ruby clung her chin reluctantly. "There is a point there. I do remember when people watching in the Mysterious Beyond that people were guarded with others, even if they were nice. I thought here in the valley people might be more honest but in this climate, I guess my idea isn't that much use after all."

She looked down, feeling Petrie touch her hand in sympathy. Don watched, wings crossed. His features softened slightly.

"From your limited experience, that was a decent idea," he said. "Maybe these exercises can help you think of a better one."

Ruby and Petrie looked up with surprise. Did Don just try to comfort her? His praise of the pair' progress seemed genuine, albeit grudging, but this was a whole other level. Uncomfortable with their attention, Don coughed and his voice became more businesslike.

"As I was saying, if you want to improve faster, practice more. Let's resume the exercise. So, what are your thoughts on that squareshi-"

He was cut off by the sound of angry whispering. Starting, they turned to find Papa Flyer irritably waving a paw-ful of berries. Incensed, Mama Flyer pointed hard at one of the kids and whispered back. Petrie's brothers and sisters looked between their parents, this argument unexpected and unwanted. After another back and forth, Papa Flyer closed his eyes and took a determined breath before talking more calmly. Though annoyed, Mama Flyer relaxed enough to talk him down to handing half the berries over to the kids before walking off to near Petrie, Ruby, and Don's standing spot, wings crossed. Don exhaled through his nose.

"For Wing Father's sake, if it isn't one interruption, it's another with this family."

Ruby sent him a look but fortunately Don had said this under his breath, so she didn't think Mama Flyer heard. Thinking objectively, though, Ruby could understand why. Even if the killer's threat necessitated it, learning in a noisy family's presence could be distracting.

"Everything alright?" Petrie asked.

"It's fine." Mama Flyer managed a faint smile. "Just a disagreement over what is healthy to feed your brothers. We just need to cool off."

Petrie's gaze flicked down. "You even fight over that." He fidgeted. "Mama, why can't you and Papa get along more?"

Her comforting expression flickered before she sighed. "Oh Petrie, I wish we could but our personalities clash. It makes it hard to settle disagreements."

"But why can't you talk it out? Me talk with friends after fights and me still friends with them after."

"Settling disputes between friends can be different from settling disputes between mates. It shouldn't be but…he can be so frustrating, with his unnecessary boundaries, unreasonable suspicion and-" Mama Flyer stopped and forced a breath. "Sorry. I don't mean to force this on you."

"It's only understandable, you know." Don said.

Mama Flyer glanced at him in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"The conflict between you two. Male flyers were never meant to be mates."

Mama Flyer blinked, as though stunned. Then she bristled. "Now you see here, that has nothing to do with our fights."

"Does it not?" Don asked. "It's only nature. A mother flyer's role is to raise the next generation and the male's is to initiate the process. That is all. Trying to do more only leads to unnecessary conflict."

"Don't bring this up to nature! There are many reasons why relationships fail. That you would force this reason on us is -"

"What's going on?" Papa Flyer walked over, gaze sweeping around.

Mama Flyer pointed. "He's saying our relationship's current status is because of flyer nature."

"Is he now?" Papa Flyer's eyes bore onto Don. "Well, you do like offering opinions on things that aren't your business."

"I was merely comforting your former mate with objective facts." Don said. "It was doomed from the beginning, so there's only so much blame you can share between you two."

"What makes you think nature is what happened to us?" Papa Flyer challenged. "Stop with that nonsense. You know nothing about us. We are more than our natures, don't come in with your generalizations."

Don looked between Mama Flyer and Papa Flyer, irritated, analyzing. Nervous, Ruby tugged on his wing but he didn't notice.

"I thought so." Don said at last. "'More than our natures.' You were part of that coupling movement."

"Coupling? Movement?" Petrie repeated. "What you talking about?"

"In your parents' generation, there was a movement to change flyer tradition." Don answered. "Male flyers wanted to be with those they mated with and the females wanted a companion to help raise the young. They observed the mating rituals of other kinds and suddenly wanted some version of that relationship. But just because it works for some kinds doesn't mean it'll work for us. Your mother and father's example only demonstrates the movement's failure."

"Now don't you go there." Mama Flyer said. "With so many pursuing a major change in relations, it's only inevitable a few will fail. Unfortunately, we are among them."

"Do you have any facts to back that up?" Don asked. "I've heard it's more than a few. For Wing Father's sake, we aren't built for relationships."

"It's what we aren't experienced in." Papa Flyer retorted. "I know more than a few couples who have succeeded and it has changed their lives for the better."

"Have you checked to make sure that is still so? They're likely putting on a front so they could refuse to admit there are challenges or their instincts are rebelling against them." Don put his hands behind his back "Our way has worked for generations. We shouldn't change our natures for change's sake or just to be trendy."

"Some say that long ago it was common for children not to be taken care of by their mothers." Mama Flyer retorted. "If that was true, we changed that. Male flyers can do the same to take on roles in mating and parenting. For all your proclaimed wisdoms, you're unwise about the complexity our own kinds display."

Don sneered. "I thought veterans of adulthood would have a wiser view on the actions of their youth. Your mothers warned your generation about this and instead of accepting their wisdoms, you continue to dwell in denial. You're as ignorant and disrespectful as when you first thanked them for attempting to pass down their knowledge by spitting in their faces."

There was an intake of breath. Mama Flyer's shocked expression turned into a glare. Petrie gazed up at Don with an angry grit to his beak. Ruby could relate. She wanted to shake Don; this was far out of line. Papa Flyer's eyes bored into Don's. He clenched and unclenched his hands, but stayed where he was.

"You know what dear, I change my mind about your brother." Papa Flyer said. "At least Pterano was sometimes pleasant company. The same can't be said for this – this…I won't use that word in front of children. If this is how you always acted, no wonder your former flock kicked you out."

Don jerked as though slapped. He glared back. Mama Flyer put a hand on her former mate's shoulder.

"Dear."

Papa Flyer didn't seem to notice. Then he turned around. "I'm done. I've made my point here."

He marched back to the nest. Mama Flyer hesitated but followed, her glance at Don not holding much sympathy. Petrie and Ruby stood next to Don, atmosphere tense.

"Why you have to talk like that?" Petrie said quietly. "Mama and Papa being together a good thing. It – it could be better but – why couldn't you be quiet?"

"Yes, Don." Ruby put her fists on her hips. "If you had kept your disagreement to yourself, we wouldn't have argued. And the arguing wouldn't have upset everyone."

"It did." Don murmured.

"Now because we're upset, me and Petrie will have trouble concentrating on the lesson. Please concentrate on those consequences next time before bringing up your opinions."

Don grimaced slightly. "As much as I hate considering others' feelings when a truth must be told…it has value. I wouldn't have had to deal with that unnecessary drama then."

He walked over and sat on the edge. Ruby and Petrie continued to glare, but as he remained still, uncertainty set in. Tentatively, they stepped closer. His gaze on the distant mountains was hard and he frowned with grim contemplation. The expression didn't look unusual on Don's face, but it was unhappy enough compared to his usual attitude they felt moved to speak.

"Um, you okay?" Petrie said.

"I'm fine." Don said. "That jab just hit a sore point. A lucky shot. It will go away."

"When people are made angry, they tend to strike back." Ruby said. Her tone wasn't scolding but matter-of-fact. "Sometimes those strikes are very hard."

"I should have expected that. None of what the young say should hit me but I suppose even my emotions are fickle things."

"Did – did what cause fickling have to do with what you say yesterday?" Petrie asked. "About your old flock not accepting you back?"

"You also said something about an event a night circle cycle back." Ruby said. "Is that related?"

Don averted his gaze. "That is none of your business. That's a private matter."

"My parents' relationship also private matter, yet you still talked." Petrie said. More softly, he continued. "When you have issue, sometimes talking can help."

Ruby nodded. "Petrie has a point. If you're training us, it would be advantageous if you're not distracted by past points of distress."

Looking at the pair, Don opened his mouth but paused. He gripped his chin, uncertainty weaving in his eyes. After several seconds, he sighed.

"I could do with no distractions." He adjusted his posture, waving for the pair to sit down. "The event you reference does have a connection to what occurred with my flock. It only confirmed what I knew but…let me give you some background. I had already been kicked out of my flock for a few night circle cycles. I had glimpsed their activities and they sure didn't appear to miss me. It burned to be thrown away so easily but I came to like having little contact with the ignorant. It meant fewer interruption to my contemplations. Still, it was dull to have no one to share my wisdoms with.

"Then one day, while I was flying around the Mysterious Beyond to clear my thoughts, I heard a cry for help. Far from the valley, I found one of my younger flockmates on a tall rock formation, looking scared and calling for help. I went over to ask him what the trouble was. Apparently while doing some exercise flights, he had got himself blown into the Mysterious Beyond and he forgot which way the valley was. I informed him about the air current that could get him back and he was so relieved. He actually seemed to appreciate my help. That was satisfying but before I could dwell on it, a shadow fell over us.

"It was a sharptooth. A great big sailback with long jaws. It lunged for us but we took off. Maybe it was desperate for food - who knows how they think – but it followed us. We would have normally flown into the sky but our morning flights exhausted us. We barely stayed out of reach. We urged each other on, gave each other tips to fly faster. Even with how terrified he was, he stayed beside me. I thought at least this demonstrated he was loyal to a former flockmate."

Don's tone became bitter. "We could feel the sharptooth's snaps getting closer. I was tiring, falling behind. I am old, I can't fly as fast as I used to. He kept glancing at me, and I thought he was fearful for my well-being. We continued to urge each other on but at last, on one of those snaps, he screamed and," his voice broke, "flapped his wings enough to gain a second wind and rise into the sky. Flew away – leaving me behind. After all my wisdoms, he only used me so far as it could help him and once he saw me as a liability, he threw me away. Left me to be eaten like a common creature.

"Of course," he sighed shakily, "I got away…but only barely. Some of my former flock came to check on me, claiming concern, but I turned them away. Nearly dying made me learn something – I can't trust anyone to be reliable. Whether it's for intelligence or compassion, they will let you down. I had enough of that, so I cut all ties with them. I would be on my own, improving my knowledge. I would prefer people engage with my ideas but if sticking to my views means that I have to be alone, so be it. I won't compromise the truth for the fancy of others."

Don exhaled slowly. Ruby and Petrie stared as they sorted through the mix of emotions swirling in them. Ruby tried to comprehend it – a friend, maybe even a child of a friend you knew your entire life, abandoning you out of fear. Placing any of their friends in that position made her heart ache.

"Wow, that just," Petrie waved, "me not think it something that big."

"It sounds like this flyer was appreciative but got scared and ran," Ruby said, "but abandonment by impulse is still something you have a right to be angry about."

"If nothing else, danger shows who your true allies are." Don replied. "Sometimes relations can never be the same. It's best to cut those ties and move on."

"R-really?" Petrie murmured. "Even if it would be better to try to fix things you care about?"

"You can try, but no matter how much we fight it, there are relationships that can no longer be repaired."

Petrie glanced at his parents as they engaged with their children, in the nest but standing apart. He gave a sad sigh.

"Anyway, that must have been hard." Ruby said. "We hope talking about that hard thing at least helped a bit."

"Yes," Don stood, "I…do appreciate you listened to my story. That is a very unusual thing from your generation. It did help focus me on what's really important."

Ruby and Petrie sat up. Don was looking at them from the side, having challenge maintaining eye contact. Slowly, they smiled.

"So we return to lesson?" Petrie asked.

"Of course." Don turned to them, all severe business again. "We wasted enough time. For Wing Father's sake, we need to get our focus back on finding the killer's identity. Let's resume our scenario debates."

"We're going to break off from people judging to debating?" Ruby said skeptically. "Wouldn't finishing off where we started mean we start debates on a better foot?"

"Everything will make sense in time." Don waved for them to walk from the cliffs and sit in a circle near the path walls. "We shall revisit a theme from yesterday: scheming. Whoever killed Mr. Clubtail is a cunning sort. Related to this, do you think he did the deed for some other purpose?"

Ruby frowned. "Don't tell me we're going to look at 'scheming dinosaurs' again? Looking in that way would only be a distraction."

"If a kind has a certain tendency, it's only natural to search for suspects among them." Don said irritably. "But yes, we shouldn't limit ourselves. No matter the temperament, all dinosaurs are scheming in some way. Not even the aggressive are exempt."

"The aggressive…" Ruby repeated.

She and Petrie exchanged concerned glances, Don's words bring a certain green threehorn to mind. Verter had bragged about his fighting record yet appeared so friendly. Ruby remembered how quickly his smoothed over his disappointment Cera's parents rejected his request to train her and Chomper, transitioning back to bantering with Chomper and Cera's family and making them laugh again. As soon as it occurred to her, Ruby dismissed this old suspicion as silly. Some didn't tend to dwell on the negative; she knew people like that. Nevertheless an unsettled feeling lingered in her stomach…

Soon she and Petrie shall shake themselves and attempt to return to the debate but for several seconds Don watched closely as confusion and worry plagued their expressions.

They didn't notice the guilt that flickered through his eyes.

 **Next time…**

 **Part 2**

* * *

 **Note:** Didn't quite make the end of August but the week after isn't too late. Knocking on wood, I hope to post part 2 next week.


	14. New Routines Part 2

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 14: New Routines Part 2**

Chomper and Cera gazed up at the hill, mouths open with dread.

"We're going to climb that?" Cera asked.

Verter smiled and waved ahead. After doing more rounds of jogging and stretching, he announced he was going to take them elsewhere for a new training session. They were so tired, so relieved to be back among the more lush parts of the valley, they didn't put much thought to where they were going beyond maybe to another of the fighting grounds before he steered them to a rightly direction and they came upon this land feature.

The hill was high. There were grooves straddling up and terminating at smoothed out parts, mini ledges, and small protrusions. It was steep, so steep that it might as well be a cliff. Up top, there was a hint of grass and beyond that Chomper could smell the freshness of a small collection of trees. To their right, a green-patched path slithered down to ground level, where land-based dinosaurs could have an easier access to the bounty up there but Chomper had a feeling they wouldn't be taking that route.

"This will be good for navigating rough terrain." Verter said. "We'll see how well you climb first before we get you pushing stuff up it."

"Pushing stuff?" Chomper squeaked. "I thought you said we weren't going to push any things up hills."

"I said I wasn't going to make you push boulders up hills." Verter said. "There might be a milder version of that practice but let's not concentrate on that now. Get climbing."

"Climb? Up there." Cera looked up anxiously. "Uh…"

Verter smiled slyly. "Are you saying you can't handle it?"

"Of course not! It's just, um – safety reasons. This is a rather high climb. If we fall, we would get hurt and that could get in the way of training."

There was silence. Cera couldn't help her anxiety over the risks. She had never liked heights, something in her instincts always revolting whenever she got near a high place. This was not helped when a pair of sprinters walked by and she heard one of them say, "Is that threehorn really thinking of making those kids climb a cliff?" Chomper glanced back after them but she stared ahead, trying to put the words out of her mind.

Verter acted as though there had been no passersby. "Good point. I picked this spot for that reason. See the tall grass around there? It can soften any fall. I'll be standing right here to catch you if worst comes to worst. Don't worry, there are a lot more paw-holds than it looks. I'm sure you'll be able to get to the top."

"Okay." Chomper looked up uncertainly. "I do like going high places. But I don't see how this is going to help since we won't be able to climb as much when we grow up."

"Yeah." Cera said. "You don't see threehorns doing climbing competitions."

Verter laughed. "If we could, we totally would. But while you're still children, improving how you climb will be advantageous. In your adventures, you might need to escape a threat or access new routes through climbing. This exercise will help you with that. At least it would help you deal with that fear so it won't get in the way in a crises situation."

"Well…" Cera titled her head, Verter's amusement at her joke easing her. "Oh, okay. Where do we begin climbing?"

Verter indicated to a spot and Cera and Chomper walked there, going through tall grass that was actually nice to the touch. Exchanging some uncertain glances, they looked for some handholds in the hill and began to climb.

Chomper would have liked to think it wasn't as hard as he thought but that wasn't the case. To start, he had to jump to reach the little crevice just about his head and scraped at the hill to get his toes into it. He dug his fingers into the rock, hauling himself so that he had both feet there. Then he looked up for the next handhold and strained his hand to it. Then the next handhold, and the next. He struggled to maintain even breathing as he ascended. It was challenging as suspected but he was able to do it. He now understood what his parents said once about hard tasks being more surmountable when actually working through them.

At least, that was what he thought until he didn't dig his claws in enough at one ledge. Chomper yelped as he slid back, toe claws parting from the rock before he landed in the grass. It was as soft as Verter said and with how thick it was together, he felt little more than a distant ache. He shook himself.

"It's alright, Chomper." Verter said. "Keep going. Don't let any mistakes discourage you."

"R-right." Chomper said.

He got back to the hill and resumed climbing, trying not to feel anything about seeing Cera far ahead. He could feel gravity pull on him. It was like he was challenging a force of nature and he felt that at any second, its weight would overcome him again. He tried not to hurry his pace to catch up with Cera. He looked around to ascertain his height, but that he hadn't held on hard enough and the motion caused him to swing his place, making him woah until his body steadied. Then he took a deep breath and continued up. That wasn't wise to do but at least he ascertained he got up ten feet. He heard a scream and, out of the top corner of his eye, he saw Cera miss a handhold and wobble before sliding down. She grabbed onto a paw-hold and adjusted her other legs to grip other spots, panting until she felt calm enough to continue. She gripped one protrusion or crack and then the other with her forelegs, grunts holding a nervous edge.

"You doing alright, Cera?" Chomper said.

"Managing," her voice cracked. Her forepaw slipped on a crack and she yelped before throwing her forepaw back in. Then more measuredly. "Managing. This is far from the highest we climbed, no big deal."

"Don't talk too much." Verter called. "Concentrate on climbing so you won't fall."

"Okay, okay."

For nearly a minute, they put their focus on ascending from one crack or ledge to the next. A cool wind blew by, making him feel a thousand feet up. A handhold collapsed under Chomper's claws and he yelled as he slid down until his foot caught a protrusion and he dug his claws into the earth. He panted before gazing around and finding some more handholds and starting up again.

This was more difficult than he thought. He had some climbing experience in the Mysterious Beyond and he and Cera did climb often on the gang's adventures but most of the time, they were more perpendicular cliffs or at least had a lot of ledges where they could stand and rest. They rarely climbed such vertical land features, at least not tall ones and not without at least one other person to help push them up. He wondered if his parents would approve of this kind of training. They were tough in teaching him how to hunt, both for the physical dangers and in learning to swallow his reluctance about it, but would they have him climbing hills? They didn't want to put him in too much danger but they would do anything to heighten his chance for survival. They would at least make sure it was safe. He could almost picture it now, his parents watching him ascend a cliff but heads hovering nearby, ready to catch him should he fall.

He shook the image from his mind. He was doing this kind of training so they wouldn't have to be ready to catch him all the time. He had to be more independent, so he wouldn't be a burden to anyone. Even as Chomper tried to concentrate on climbing one nook at a time, a part of his mind lingered on the motivations of another person.

"Cera," he said lowly, "why did you decide to do this training?"

"What?" Cera huffed. "Don't distract me. Didn't your precious Verter say not to talk?"

"Hey, we can talk quietly." Chomper said, annoyed. He glanced down and was relieved Verter appeared distracted by a few dinosaurs passing by. "As long as we concentrate, I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, I'm curious."

Cera didn't say anything for a moment, the click of each climbing movement filling the silence. "I just want to do something." A crack echoed out as she got up to another paw-hold. "Just standing around being sad wasn't going to help."

"I get that." Chomper panted as he pulled himself up to a rather narrow ledge. "This does mean we don't have too think much about what happened."

"I'm not here to avoid my feelings." Cera said quickly. "I just – this give me something useful to do."

"Hey, you're plenty useful Cera. You do so much on our adventures, ramming rocks or pushing us onto higher places. Even when you're being snarky, you're a good friend in a pinch."

"…would you say that if you met me around the time my friends did?"

Chomper glanced at her. Cera ascended the hill with a down look. Verter had apparently finished with the passersby and stepped closer to the hill, head held as though to catch either of them should they fall.

"I'm not a nice person." Cera continued. "You know how prickly I was with you the first two times we met. Even now, I still like winding you up."

"Cera, you're not that bad." Chomper said, puzzled. "Sure, you can be annoying but that doesn't stop me from liking you."

"You don't get it. I was much worse when I met my friends. I was so prideful and boastful about my accomplishments, yet turned tail at the slightest danger. I got into loads of fights with Littlefoot and the others on the journey to the valley, and I didn't care at all about their feelings. More than once, I even almost-"

Cera's voice cracked. Verter's figure glanced back up briefly before his eyes settled on the piece of hill ahead of him.

"Oh." Chomper paused. "Me and Ruby kind of gathered something like that with what you guys said about your adventures. But you're much better now, Cera. You haven't been that way for a while."

"But I can still get that way. Remember when we tried to rescue Littlefoot's dad from the Fire Mountain?" Cera took a deep breath. "At least with this – maybe the training can help me work on my fear. And I can be there when it matt-"

Cera slipped on a loose rock. She yelled as she started skidding down the hill. Chomper watched, startled. Her distancing figure scraped her forefeet at the hill to get a grip on something, anything, falling quite far. A quarter of the way to the ground, she grabbed for a small ledge and stopped her descent. She hung there, reorienting herself, before her other feet padded out and she climbed back up again. Her ascent was slow and it took a while for her to be close enough to see her face but when he did, he saw her mood was low. She appeared a bit surprised to see Chomper still hanging there and a look of guilt came in as she closed the distance, having a hard time making eye contact.

"I'm really screwing things up." Cera muttered.

"Hey, don't be like that." Chomper said. "I'm struggling too. At least we're in this together."

"Knowing someone else is also suffering isn't exactly reassuring but…thanks."

They were three-quarters up the hill. Below, Chomper glimpsed Verter shifting position as he glanced up. Chomper was a bit happy Cera appreciated his thought but how she had been talking bothered him.

"If you're so interested in improving, why are you suspicious of Verter?" he asked. "With what you mentioned earlier…what could make you say that?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's just what our friends said yesterday is eating at me." Cera said. "I don't exactly believe it – but it's strange how much he pays attention to you. Don't you find it kind of creepy?"

"Maybe he's just amazed he's training a sharptooth." Chomper said. "He's used to other threehorns but training someone who's usually the enemy's pretty weird. I think that would make many people excited."

"Maybe," she said. "I don't know how to explain it either. It's just, for some reason, it bothers me…"

Silence. Verter bent his head to eat at some greens on a hill-mounted bush. Chomper gave her a considering look.

"Is this because you're jealous of the attention he gave me?" he asked.

"No," she said quickly. "I mean, it was annoying but this is completely different."

"So it's the weird thing? If we think everyone weird is suspicious, then we wouldn't have any friends." Chomper chuckled. "Hey, I wouldn't have any friends. Not everyone's perfect, but that doesn't mean anything bad. I do think it's better he's trying to make up and give us more equal training. Especially since you live here and, um," he coughed awkwardly, "it would be better if someone who'll stay here longer knows how to defend our friends."

"What? Oh…yeah." Cera tone became quiet. "I will get more training opportunities with my parents. I just hope this one delivers..."

Chomper glanced at Cera questioningly, but his hand nearly missed the next ledge, and he had to scramble to not slide down. He continued climbing but his mind lingered on Cera's doubts. He had a hard time believing them. Really, he found Verter's attention a bit flattering; it indicated the threehorn saw potential in him. Still, now that Chomper looked back on it, he did notice how beadily Verter had been watching him while instructing them. It was a bit weird but he probably just enjoyed the novelty of teaching a sharptooth. Besides, Cera always doubted things. He liked her but he had to admit she wasn't often right about things. Still, if even she admitted she found these doubts weird, what did that say about them? He shoved those thoughts aside and focused on the training, not wanting any distractions.

After minutes that stretched into forever, his claws dug into grass and he and Cera pulled themselves onto land, crawling from the ledge before collapsing, breaths heaving. In that instant, Chomper wanted to curl up and take a nap but his stomach growled, announcing it had been awhile since he ate. He glanced around uncertainly but Cera was already staring ahead.

"Food, at last."

She pushed herself up to get to the small tree collection in front of them and Chomper scrambled to follow. He learned from his cold times of foraging that where there were plants, there was usually grub. Cera was already chomping on a bush, struggling not to swallow a long leaf whole to sate her. Sniffing about, it didn't take him long to find some bugs near the dirt and hidden in trees, and he munched enthusiastically, grateful to feel like something other than exhausted rubber. A brightness was returning to Cera's eyes. The air was filled with the sound of gnashing teeth and rustled plants but no sooner were they recovering did Verter jog in.

"Good job, you two," he said. "There could be some improvements but we can work on that. Time to move along."

Cera and Chomper looked at them with a mouthful of greens and bug parts, surprised.

"Ohredy?" Cera said, muffled. She swallowed. "I mean, already? We just got here."

"We can't take breaks on a whim." Verter said. "They need to be regimented to compliment the training." Upon their crestfallen looks, he continued. "You do want to catch up with this killer right? This is the hard work that comes with progress."

"R-right." Chomper swallowed the last of his bugs.

Cera chewed up the last of the leaves she gathered, muttering. "My stomach was feeling full anyway."

They joined Verter in walking down the grass path to the ground, struggling to keep up with his hurried pace. He almost missed Verter muttering under his breath.

"…the nerve. If someone acts…rumors…"

"What was that?" Cera asked.

"Oh, nothing." Verter said, shaking himself. "I've been traveling alone a lot, so I've gotten into the habit of talking to myself."

Cera gave him a look but didn't appear surprised. Chomper checked the bright circle's position.

"Maybe we could rest with our friends when the day's over," he said.

"I'm afraid friend reunions will have to be skipped for today." Verter said.

Cera and Chomper nearly tripped over their feet, glancing at him in shock.

"What?" Cera said. "Why?"

"With a killer around, we need to train as much as we can." Verter was staring ahead. "It wouldn't be productive to take up the limited time we have with side activities, right?"

"Oh." Chomper slumped. "I – I guess that makes sense."

Cera grumbled under her breath, glaring at the ground. Chomper tried not to let this bring down his spirits. He and Cera spent nearly every day with their friends, there should be no harm in spending a few away from them, especially if it was to train to protect them, right? Trying to make this a positive thought, he followed Verter and Cera to whatever the next part of training was.

* * *

Laughter echoed in the river. The swimmer family was enjoying a nice afternoon playing a game of dodge-splash. The brothers and sisters were divided up into teams, throwing and kicking water at each other. Mama Swimmer hovered, acting as a referee and alternating between cheering for each team. At the moment, the left team looked a bit more winded, cringing from the onslaught of the right team, but from the giggles and whoops everyone was having fun regardless.

"Hey, is this a private game or can anyone join?"

The two teams looked over and cheers went up as Ducky and Spike walked in to the water.

"There you are!" Bill said. "We were wondering if you two would show up!"

"Finally pulled yourselves away from that spiketail?" Eda asked.

Ducky forced a smile. "You could say that. Anyway, let's play!"

There were cheers as Ducky walked over to the left team and Spike to the right team. Spike generated particular excitement, the right team chanting, "Spike! Spike! Spike! Spike!" as he made a show of stomping through the water, growling ominously. Ducky laughed as Spike's façade broke with a big smile when he reached the front and sent a big wave splashing onto the left team.

There were squeals and the splashes resumed with greater vigor. Ducky smiled mischievously and threw water at Spike, her brother gasping and ducking down to avoid it. But in the process, his teammates cried out in dismay as his body splashed water on them. It was dubious if Spike had dodged Ducky's splash at all.

But the right team recovered and retaliated with force. Ducky's team jumped and dashed as they attempted to avoid being splashed. Bill jerked and leapt around the flying liquid, having long become an expert at this game. Bitty screamed and hopped about, getting sent off her feet with one strong splash. Ducky managed to stay standing but she had been splashed over a dozen times in her vain attempts to dodge. She didn't care, laughing as she shook some of the water off her.

"Come on guys, we are supposed to splash back!" she told her team. "Let's give them what they gave us!"

She dodged a splash and kicked a wave to the nearest right team member, Eda, who paused in the midst of her own wave sending to roll out of the way. This rallied Ducky's teammates enough to really splash back and despite Spike's presence on the other team, the tide turned. Spike stopped kicking water in favor of crouching and jerking to dodge splashes aimed at him. Riv tried to keep up but his face got hit once, twice, three times and he fell back, sputtering as he covered his head. Eda lasted the longest, ducking expertly as she kicked and threw water but eventually she squealed and giggled like the rest of her teammates as they got overwhelmed. Shaking water out of her eyes, Eda called out.

"Alright, you win! Mercy, mercy!"

Chuckling, Mama Swimmer clapped her hands and the splashing calmed, everyone panting but smiling. Wiping water off herself, Eda looked around and smiled at Ducky and Spike.

"Wow, that was a fun game you two," she said.

"Yeah." Riv said. "You really went all out."

"Things are more fun when you two are around." Bitty agreed.

The other siblings chimed in with nods and compliments. Mama Swimmer smiled down warmly. Spike laughed, leaning into himself bashfully as the others gave him congratulatory pats. Looking around, Ducky raised herself proudly.

"Well, we have our friends to thank. We come up with a lot of ways to have fun together, we do, we do. It only makes sense to take what we learn with them to our family."

Bill nodded thoughtfully. "You sure like having fun with those friends. Since you're with them all day, it makes sense you need to find new ways to have fun."

"I do not know if it is time or anything like that," Ducky admitted. "We just have really good friends that can make anything fun. We had a good game of pointy seed bowling yesterday. Oh, I cannot wait to see what fun we will have when we meet with them today. Maybe we can jump over Patty's tail like Littlefoot said before."

Bill smiled. "Well, have a good time. Jumping over a longneck's tail…that'll be fun to hear about."

"You can also be part of that fun if you want."

The murmurs and splashing of adjusting feet quieted. Ducky became very aware of the eyes staring at her and Spike.

"Us?" Eda said. "Joining your friends?"

"Right." Ducky said. "I mean, Bill said it sounds like fun. Why not see if it really is."

She looked hopefully at her hatch-mates: Eda, Bill, Loch and Fussy. They often agreed on how to be silly, and had enthusiastically welcomed Spike into the family when they arrived to the valley. With the two sets of siblings since, they were often a united front in organizing the chaos family get-togethers can become. But they were having a hard time meeting her eye.

"That – that does sound interesting." Loch murmured.

Fussy nodded. "Yeah. It's…it's nice you asked us."

Silence. Mama Swimmer watched with concern.

"Ducky and Spike are always coming home with stories of their fun with their friends," she said encouragingly. "I wouldn't mind if any of you joined them."

But there were still averted gazes. Spike walked carefully around his siblings, looking around and baying before standing next to Ducky. She didn't like how supportive his presence was. She stared at her hatch-mates as they looked nervous, something in her twisting.

"It would be fun!" she said. "It would. Can you not at least try?"

"We're not saying it won't be fun." Fussy said quickly. "Just…"

"It is about my friends, right?"

No one said anything but they didn't really need to.

"Why?" Ducky looked around. "I know you are scared with what we get into but it does not happen all the time. I wish you would just try."

"Well, we…" Riv scratched his face. "Why are you bringing this up again? I thought you were okay with us being with different people."

"It is just-" Ducky put a finger to her lip. "I have fun with my friends. I also have fun with you guys. I thought if everyone were together, we would have double the fun."

Spike nodded, baying with emphasis. Ducky stared hopefully at her siblings but they looked only more anxious. Eda sighed and stepped up.

"Everyone has different kinds of fun, Ducky," she said. "Not all of it will fit everyone."

"I am confused." Ducky said. "I thought we all like having the same kinds of games – tag, swimmer and splasher, being really silly. My friends love those, so will you not have fun with each other?"

"Maybe." Bitty hesitated. "We are more different than you think. You guys going all over the place for your fun, it does not click with us."

"Oh, come on!" Ducky threw her hands up. "How do you know if you will not try?"

"Ducky has a point." Mama Swimmer said. "Her and Spike's friends might get into trouble occasionally but they're really sweet. It would be nice to try once."

"We haven't decided anything like that, Mama." Riv said. "Don't force us."

"Is now a great time to do that?" Osber asked. "There's a killer around."

"That would be too scary without Mama around." Shean said.

"I didn't say to try anything right away." Mama Swimmer said quickly. "Just-"

She fell silent as there were moans and head shakes, her resolve faltering at the sight of their anxiety. Ducky's stomach sank at the sight of Bitty fidgeting and shaking her head hard. She had been Ducky's favorite of the batch and that she and all the others of the second batch didn't want to try was hard for her.

"Maybe – maybe we can try after the killer is gone." Ducky said weakly. "Or, oh, have my friends stay with us until then. That would be easier."

"That is a good idea, Ducky." Mama Swimmer said. "I would be more than willing to watch over them."

"We can try that." Fussy said reluctantly. "But don't expect it to work out."

"Yeah, what if they attract danger to us?" Norkel said nervously.

"They will not!" Ducky said. "We are their friends, and we do not think we attract danger. Please, let's do it. I am tired of having to choose between being with my family and friends."

There was silence. Some of the brothers and sisters looked down guiltily or gave them sympathetic looks. Eda sighed.

"Ducky, we love you but sometimes you can't hang out with everyone," she said. "There are still brothers and sisters here I don't know well. Not because they are bad or anything, but because we're different."

"Yeah." Bill said. "That's life."

Ducky's brothers and sister's nodded. Even the latest batch, who were only born a few cold times ago, were bobbing their heads in agreement. Ducky's heart sank. That not even her youngest siblings were willing to agree with her made her feel really alone.

"It is not fair." Ducky said. She slumped down. "Me and Spike always thought it would be nice if you would join our friends."

"Is it something you both want?" Loch asked. "Because Spike looks rather surprised by that."

Ducky started and looked. Spike hastily shook his head and tried to look supportive but he had hid his slight surprise at her statement a bit too late. It might have occurred to him but he had been content with things as they were. He did look sad, but more for her than the sibling-friends situation and he looked rather guilty about that.

"Now please be nicer to Ducky and Spike." Mama Swimmer said. "I know this is all distressing but they just want to be with those they love."

"We're not trying to be not nice." Fussy said. "It's just," she turned to Ducky, "you understand, right Ducky? We find joy in other places, with other friends. Can you accept that? I know that is kind of sad, since that means we won't know everyone perfectly, but…"

That pronouncement caused the siblings to look down. As much as this caused tension, they loved being around each other. The thought they would always be distant with some caused great sadness. Ducky looked around in distress.

"Okay," she said. "Okay. I will try not bother you about it again. Please, go back to playing. Me and Spike will go somewhere else."

"Ducky…" Eda reached a hand out.

"It is okay!" Ducky said, a bit loudly. "Me and Spike just need to… be away. I need to think about this. I will see you guys later."

With that, Ducky sloshed out of the river, Spike following. After a pause, splashes hesitantly picked back up behind them. Mama Swimmer sloshed after them.

"I'm sorry, Ducky, Spike," she said. "I wish I could have helped more but there are some things you can't force on others, particularly when there are so many kids to marshal."

"Then why did you have so many of us in the first place?" Ducky flipped around, throwing her hands up. "With less kids, you would have been able to give us more attention."

"Ducky!" Mama Swimmer reeled back.

Ducky instantly regretted it. She lowered her head. "I am sorry Mama. I did not mean to get angry."

"Oh, Ducky." Mama Swimmer relaxed, nuzzling her and Spike. "I know these past few days have been stressful for you both. I'm sorry I couldn't attend to you more."

"It is okay." Ducky waved. "Go watch over our brothers and sisters. We will be fine."

Mama Swimmer hesitated, but at a call from one of the boys, she got up and went to attend to her other children, that unsure expression still present. Ducky and Spike feet patted through grass, making a beeline for a clearing where spiketail plates could be seen over the bushes. Pushing through, they saw Tega resting, a piece of long-grass hanging from her mouth but otherwise apparently asleep. Hesitating, Ducky and Spike approached.

"So, how did it go?"

The pair stopped. Tega spoke but her eyes remained closed. Ducky fidgeted.

"Um, not too well," she said. "Oh, it would have been nice if we could all be together."

"Hmm. Thought this would happen."

The tree crackled. Wincing, Tega opened her eyes and examined the pair calmly. They had been talking off and on about selfishness since Tega came around that day. Ducky and Spike got some points in their favor but Tega's arguments were harder to crack. Ducky's head had become swim-y. Her convictions about the goodness of people was still there but she found all of this so confusing. The latest interaction with her brothers and sisters didn't help matters.

"Selfishness exists even in your family." Tega continued. "With so many siblings, it's only natural their interests wouldn't align with yours, especially if there's a hint of danger."

"They were not mean about it." Ducky defended.

"You're insistent about not saying a bad word about them." Tega observed. "Rather greedy about making sure everyone is happy, aren't you?"

"Well, that is because it is not nice to make people sad. They tried to let me down gently."

"They let you down gently because the harsh method would get a scolding from Mama. If they were actually selfless, wouldn't they just come along? This test was rather illuminating, wasn't it?"

Ducky squirmed. "I – I do not want to think of this as a test. I really did want them to."

"People can have more than one purpose for their actions." Tega looked at Ducky with an understanding that was uncomfortable. "Having to get all of those brats to agree on anything is such an inconvenience. Wouldn't it be easier if they just…did what you say? Go along without question."

"What? Oh no, no, I do not want to force anyone to be what they are not, that is creepy."

"Come on, the thought must have occurred to you. Same for you, Spike. Wouldn't it be ever so nice to order your friends to go your way for once? More powerful people do that to others all the time. Heck, with the rumors flying about, a certain green dinosaur really likes to do it."

"Huh? Who?" Ducky asked.

"You need to listen more." Tega said. "Come on, don't tell me you're so noble you wouldn't do it?"

Ducky and Spike stared at her. To override others for who they were just to get what you want was too horrible to contemplate. They liked their friends and family as they were, they didn't want to rob them of their agency. After the argument though, Ducky thought as she rubbed her chest, she didn't like how a small part of her found it tempting…

With another crack from the tree, Tega's gaze gained a brief nervous edge as she spat out her piece of grass and grabbed another piece to chew.

"Well, enough of that," she commented. "Groups are just pains anyway. All this negotiating and giving and taking – even as an undisputed leader, you'd still have to take care of some of their needs. It would be better if everyone could just survive on their own."

"Oh, that is not true!" Ducky said, now feeling like she was on firmer ground. "It would be so sad if we had no one to be with. I like having friends and family to be around, I do, I do!"

"You did not sound like you liked being with a big family a few seconds ago." Tega said. "Do you and Spike enjoy having so many siblings?"

"Um." Ducky winced. "It is not like that most of the time. We mostly have fun."

Spike stepped forward, nodding defiantly. "Uh-huh."

"Hmm?" Tega sounded amused. "Even so, with so many brothers and sisters around, it must be annoying to get pushed aside in the shuffle."

"Uh…" Ducky shook her head. "It is not fun but…I do know it is good to have people around and I like having lots of family and friends with me."

"Pah." Tega looked away. "If you live alone, you wouldn't have to deal with that drama. You can just survive and entertain yourself at your own pace. You would only have to stick with others out of brief mutual interest. That is the ideal." She sighed. "Things would be so much simpler that way but instead everyone insists on sticking to their groups."

"But dinosaurs do not stick together just because they like to." Ducky said. "Surviving together is better. Not only because of the company, though that is enough." Spike smiled, and she patted his neck. "If you are not alone, then you can always have someone there to help you when you need it."

Tega shifted uncomfortably. "That – it is a challenge to survive alone but if you are quick and hardy, then it's possible."

"Even if you are, you still might get into trouble. You might not know enough or think fast enough, so having a friend to talk out a solution with is very helpful, it is, it is."

"I heard of that argument." Tega said shortly. "If you are smart enough, you do not need anyone. Other people get in the way."

"But what if you are trapped somewhere and cannot see a way out? What if you are scared and find out you do not know what to do? It would be very hard to rescue yourself, right?"

"Um, I…"

Tega suddenly wasn't so laidback and confident. She licked her lips and looked around nervously. Concerned, Ducky stepped forward.

"Tega?"

There was another crackle from the nearby tree. Tega surged to her feet, eyes darting about, breaths quick and shallow.

"Tega, what is wrong?" Ducky asked. "Tega, it is alright! That is just the tree making its funny sounds, you do not need to be scared!"

Spike walked over to Ducky, bays sharp but soothing. Tega continued to pant but she glanced around and took some gulps of air, attempting to school calm back into her voice.

"Right. Just the tree. There is no danger around."

"We told you that tree liked to make crackling sounds." Ducky said. "Why did you not listen?"

Before Tega could respond, there was a rustle from the bushes. Mama Swimmer peaked through.

"Everything alright back here?" she asked.

"Yes, Mama." Ducky turned, putting her hands behind her back. "Just a bit of a scare, but no big deal."

"Hmm." Mama Swimmer's eyes searched the clearing, Tega's indifferent expression already back in place. Sighing, she turned her head. "Well, it's almost time for you to meet your friends. Normally, I would escort you there, but your brothers and sisters didn't like being dragged across the valley last time, so as a compromise…I think Tega should do it."

"Wait, Tega?" Ducky said.

Spike's "eh?" echoed Ducky's tone, the pair turning to look at Tega in wonderment. Tega met Mama Swimmer's eyes, chewing her grass calmly

"Yes, I know." Mama Swimmer said. "I wouldn't ordinarily approve but with how cooperative she has been with looking after you, I feel comfortable enough to make the choice. Your conversations with my children don't exactly make me happy but at least you keep them occupied after what happened yesterday. Maybe you changed or those rumors have been exaggerated. At any rate, I would appreciate if you took up the task."

"What an honor." Tega droned. She shrugged. "It seems simple enough to drag a couple of spawn across the valley."

"I don't feel that comfortable." Mama Swimmer gazed sternly. "You have to be with them until you arrive to Patty's. If there are any dangers, I expect you to get them away as quickly as possible. I do not want them to get hurt under your watch."

"Yeah, yeah, I already heard it from that old longneck." Tega said. "Don't I look strong enough to carry a young bigmouth and spiketail away?"

"Just don't slack off." Mama Swimmer's eyes softened as she gazed at Ducky and Spike. "I'll see you before the bright circle comes down. Have fun with your friends."

"We will, Mama!" Ducky waved.

Spike gave a grateful call. Mama Swimmer waved before returning to her other children. Stretching her legs, Tega spat her piece of grass out.

"Well, let's not waste time. Let's go."

She began moving. Ducky and Spike scrambled to follow, moving out of the shade into the sunlight now leaning in a westerly direction. They walked away from the river and the trees that lined that area, only a few collections of vegetation around their path. They passed quite close to dinosaurs as they walked along, their stances alert as one whispered to his companion.

"…is suspicious, right?"

"Yeah. Maybe he'll use them for his kind's rivalries."

Ducky looked around but the speakers were already out of hearing range. Confused, she turned her mind to more immediate matters. She caught Spike's eye before their gaze drifted to their escort. Tega's expression of lazy indifference hadn't changed but there was something ever-so-slightly troubled in the tilt of her mouth that moved Ducky to reach out.

"Are you okay, Tega?" Ducky asked.

"Fine." Tega said, eyes still ahead

"Are you sure? I mean, you really jumped back there."

"Fine."

"But that scare was not ordinary, it was like you were really-"

"I'm fine!" Tega snapped. "Just stop. I only want to get this duty over with, okay!" More softly, she said. "I'm fine. Really."

Ducky reeled back, staring at Tega but the spiketail continued walking. Ducky opened her mouth but Spike nudged her and shook his head. Prodding her more wouldn't work and probably only further upset her. Ducky nodded, looking down. Maybe it was best to give her space. Whatever Tega's fears were about, Ducky felt sad she might have exasperated them and couldn't help her right now.

They were somewhat relieved when Patty and most of their friends at last came into view. Littlefoot, Petrie, and Ruby were sitting next to each other, Littlefoot straining to think as Ruby apparently bombarded him with questions.

"…you ask your grandparents?" Ruby was asking. "It sounds like they might have more things to know about how longnecks do things."

"I'll try but they're kind of busy." Littlefoot replied. "You know what they're trying to do with this killer."

Ruby nodded, a bit disappointed. Petrie looked between them, a bit lost but perked up when Ducky and Spike smiled and waved at them. They stuck with Tega as she stopped in front of Patty.

"Here." Tega said. "Your responsibility. Don't lose them or anything."

"Thanks." Patty frowned.

Tega turned and lumbered away, without so much as looking back. Ducky and Spike closed the distance with their friends, who watched the departing spiketail with surprise.

"What was that about?" Ruby asked.

"I do not know." Ducky said. "She is not much of a talking person but she has been acting strange ever since a tree scared her with its crackling sounds."

Ruby frowned but glanced to the side. "Littlefoot?"

Littlefoot was staring at where Tega left. "She was there."

"What?" Ducky said. "You mean near the tunnel? We all saw her."

"No, I mean, she was there when Hyp's mother was, um," Littlefoot averted his gaze, "discovered. She was among the dinosaurs grazing and relaxing nearby."

Ducky blinked and glanced at where she last saw Tega, the others doing the same.

"That is strange." Ruby murmured. "But bumping into the same person two days in a row in the valley isn't that strange right?"

"Maybe." Littlefoot frowned. "It's just weird to remember seeing someone so blasé get really scared about seeing a ghost…"

In the silence that followed, Patty raised her head and gave their surroundings another sweep, troubled. "Cera and Chomper aren't here yet. Should we start the game?"

"Huh?" Littlefoot shook his head. "Oh, right. From what I heard, Verter might be training them even more today." He tried to ignore how Patty's frown deepened. "It would be bad to leave them in the lurch but I don't want to delay this game so much the bright circle's out of the sky and we have to go home again."

"What game are you talking about?" Ducky asked.

"We thinking about doing hide and seek in the Secret Caverns." Petrie explained. "The hiders explore a place to hide and seekers explore to find the hiders. It fun."

Ducky clasped her hands. "Oh, that does sound like fun, it does, it does!"

Ruby chuckled. "We explored the Secret Caverns before but this would add an exciting element to that exploration. It would be kind of like an adventure."

Petrie nodded rapidly. "Me can't believe it but me like that."

"Me too." Littlefoot chuckled. "Oh, it feels like forever since we had one of those. Who knows what we might find in there? I can't wait. Let's go."

There were nods and cries of agreement, their excitement contagious. Spike was halfway through bobbing his head eagerly when a thought occurred to him. He frowned, and the more he turned something over in his mind, the deeper his frown became. At length, he sat on his haunches and turned his head away, uttering a negative "eh." The others turned to him, the celebratory mood faltering.

"What is it, Spike?" Littlefoot asked.

Spike glanced at Littlefoot, that long neck tilted with concern. He looked away, haunches digging into the earth.

"He's not going to move. Why won't you move Spike?" Ruby asked.

"Do – do you no want to go with us?" Petrie said, tone trembling. "What we do wrong?"

Spike winced. He cast a guilty glance but forced himself to look away again. Touching her lips as she looked at her brother, Ducky's eyes widened.

"Oh, Spike got turned off when we said adventure," she explained. "He does not like them anymore, oh no, no, no."

"Does not like them?" Littlefoot repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he is getting tired of them. We always pull him away from the relaxing life to go explore places that are sometimes dangerous and need lots of running. He finds that scary, he does, he does."

"Really?" Ruby looked at Spike. "Now that I think about it, it makes sense."

Petrie nodded. "Me do see him annoyed in our adventures but me did not think too much about it…" He fidgeted guiltily.

"Me neither. We don't mean to get into trouble but it is what often happens when we go on an adventure." Littlefoot stepped closer. "I'm sorry, Spike. We must be really insufferable to drag you all over the place. But you don't need to worry. We're just going to play in the Secret Caverns and look at some shiny rocks. We won't be looking for any danger. I even picked the place because it would be safe from the killer. I swear, at the first sign of trouble, we'll run straight to Patty, who'll be guarding outside. After everything that happened the last few days, I just want us all to have fun."

Spike slowly raised his gaze. Littlefoot's face was contrite and understanding. After a moment, Spike smiled and gave him a big lick

"That's the spirit." Littlefoot laughed. "Be sure to stick to your goofball self while we hide and sneak around, okay?"

Spike nodded like a soldier to his general. Littlefoot shook his head and stepped ahead.

"Come on, let's get to having some fun," he continued.

"But what about Cera and Chomper?" Petrie asked. "How they find us if we not here?"

"Chomper could always use his sniffer to find us." Ruby said reluctantly. "I do not like leaving them behind but if we're to get to the Secret Caverns while there's still time…"

"That's the best we can do." Littlefoot sighed. "We'll show you the way, Patty."

"Thanks." Patty said. "That threehorn better give those two a break. Kids your age need a lot of rest."

"I know," he sighed again. He smiled. "But speaking of breaks, there's some good treestars near the cave entrance. You can stand by and eat there. It'll be a good break from me running you down."

Patty chuckled. "You haven't been running me down. But I'll accept the chance for a breather. I am a bit famished."

"A bit? I've barely seen you eat all day." He shook his head. "You're amazing, you know that? Well, this game should at least give you some time to fill your stomach."

"Speaking of time," Ruby cut in, "can I have some time to talk to Ducky, Spike, and Patty? I want to know some more about swimmers, spiketails, and longnecks."

"Um, alright." Ducky said, exchanging a bemused glance with Spike while Patty nodded.

Petrie flew over and put a hand on her shoulder. "No worry. She like this all day. She really want to hear how all kinds work."

"Oh." Ducky said. "Well, me and Spike have heard some strange things about how people talk about kinds?"

"What did you hear about?" Ruby asked, walking beside them.

Ducky started, putting her hands behind her. "Oh, nothing," she said, a bit guilty for speaking behind Ruby's back. "Just that someone will use someone else for their kind's rivalries and that another someone really liking bossing others around. It is not much."

Ruby touched her chin and even Petrie had a ponderous look on his face.

"You're the latest person beside our friends to mention hearing strange rumors." Ruby said. "No one has heard fully what these rumors are about, but they do worry people."

"They always seem to be about the same person, though." Petrie said. "Using someone for someone else…why that sound familiar?"

"But they are rumors." Ducky said "The valley has said things that are not true before. They cannot be true now, right?"

Patty called out. "Are you three moving?"

"Huh?" Ruby said. "Oh, we're moving, we're moving."

Hastily, the three caught up as Littlefoot led them onward, Patty casting a rumbling shadow over them. They laughed as Spike walked ahead in an exaggerated motion of his usual lopping walk, giving them a cheeky look that said, "Well, you asked for it." Ducky giggled into her palm but a glance around showed Ruby and Petrie looking thoughtful. Ducky hadn't expected what she overheard to cause them to have so much to think about. It was confusing, and slightly concerning. What was it about what she said that caused that flash of worry in their eyes?

* * *

Chomper curled on the cave floor. After Verter escorted him home, he had all but staggered his way in, collapsing onto his sleeping spot. He thought he would go to sleep right away but he stayed awake. After a full day of training, he was discovering it was possible to be too tired to fall asleep. He lay there, hoping the restless exhaustion in his bones would turn into the soothing tiredness that preceded blissful slumber…

Distantly, he heard the rumble of footsteps and Ruby's voice near the entrance.

"Thanks for the escort and information, Patty! Night, friends!"

There were a patter that got closer and became tentative as it stopped behind him.

"Are you awake, Chomper?" Ruby said softly. "I hope you're training went alright. I was wondering if we could talk and…"

She trailed off, tone hopeful. Chomper stirred, a pane of guilt in his gut.

"I – I can't," he mumbled. "I'm tired. Sorry, Ruby."

"No, it's fine." Ruby touched the top of his head. "Let's just get some rest."

She walked over and settled on her sleeping spot. She was only around the corner, but in the silence, Chomper could feel the distance between them. He had heard Ruby bid his friends goodnight but had been unable to meet them. Just as might be the case the next few days. He shifted, trying to get comfortable.

*This is worth it,* he thought. *This _is_ worth it. Right?*

 **Next time…**

 **The Next Fall Part 1**

* * *

 **Note:** I'll try to aim to post the next chapters for November or December. Classes have resumed, cutting two days out of my writing time, but I'll try to make them.


	15. The Next Fall Part 1

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 15: The Next Fall Part 1**

"Come on, come on, keep up the pace!"

Cera panted as she and Chomper found themselves jogging once again. Verter ran beside them, that vine dangling from his mouth. It was late-morning and the bright circle was nearly to the center position in the sky, beating down and making them sweat. As soon as they had breakfast, Verter had appeared and hauled them off. For the past few hours, they had been training nonstop, going over rock beatings, stretches, and more. They had been busy yesterday too but at least there were points of lag in their workouts and more than a few breaks. Now, though…

Crack!

Cera yelped as that vine struck a toe and hurried her steps. Verter carried that vine in his mouth, cracking it at them when they least expected. Occasionally, his gaze strayed around the area but his focus remained on them. He had been hurrying them all morning. He knew how to hit, barely an inch from the toes or with a light sting on the skin, rarely letting them slow. It was exhausting. She didn't know where this was coming from. She had saw hints of that yesterday after the climbing exercise but this was way different.

He didn't even seem to have time to socialize. When he escorted her to her family last night, Mr. Threehorn had been the only one up. His eyes flicked to her and he had opened his mouth to address Verter but the latter cut him off with a few words before walking off. This morning, they had all been up but Verter only allowed a few pleasantries and then he all but dragged Cera away. It was baffling but with the rate Verter was training her, she didn't have any time to think about it.

"Keep going." Verter called. "You're doing so well."

"Doing – well – is exhausting." Chomper panted.

"That's normal. Come on, you must be feeling a bit stronger."

Chomper mumbled incoherently. He looked tired. His eyes were half-lidded, he thrust his arms with a weak energy, and his steps were haggard and clumsy. Verter was really working the little guy up. Cera wanted to glare at Verter for this, but she was so tired herself she could only concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

At last, they came upon the rock signaling the end point. As soon as they crossed, Cera and Chomper fell off their feet, panting, exhaustion searing through them.

"Now don't just topple like a bunch of rocks. Get up."

Taking several breaths, they pushed themselves up as Verter caught up.

"That was a good workout, wasn't it?" Verter said. His smile was a bit strained. "Now, let's get back to target practice."

Chomper turned to him. "Target practice…already?"

"No time like the present. Hop to it."

"Seriously?" Cera sighed. "When are we going to take a break?"

There were some whispers, and they turned to see a pair of widebeak swimmers watching, tutting. Verter glared but they were already walking off.

"When appropriate," he said. "There is much to do, we can't waste time."

"But you're rushing us, and not leaving us time to breath. Sometimes even we need a break, you know."

He sent her a look. "I thought you said you could keep up with this."

Cera winced. "I – I can, it's just…I've been moving nonstop for several days. I know being tired's unavoidable in training but it feels like we're being sped up so fast. Can't you see why I'm getting annoyed?"

For a second, something like irritation flashed across Verter's face. Then he glanced around again and that smile returned. "Well, you can work off that annoyance with some rock ramming. Come on."

Verter turned and walked away, steps a bit quick. Cera and Chomper were left with no choice but to scramble and follow.

"We are getting better, right?" Chomper whispered to her.

"I hope so." Cera sighed. "All it feels like we're being made to do is work, work, work."

Chomper looked a bit disheartened. Cera almost wished she took back those words but she could tell she only reinforced doubts already present. Besides, she could relate to his feelings. She remembered last night how Tricia curled in a lonely figure as she slept between her parents. Cera's heart ached. She had cut Verter some slack due to the story he gave two days ago but he was rapidly wearing her patience thin. For the sake of her family and friends, Verter had better make this training worth this absence or she was going to have words with him.

* * *

Early that morning, there was chatter and laughter. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck stood with Patty as they exchanging pleasantries and anecdotes. She had come as soon as Littlefoot and his grandparents started breakfast and she stood to the side as the grandparents ate. From the ease they exchanged words, an observer might think this happened every day.

"…he experienced, he has such love for fun." Patty was saying. "He's a joy to be around."

"Yes." Grandpa Longneck said. "It can be such a contrast, when he thinks with such deep thought and then decides to splash in the goo and play. We're not complaining."

"I'm amazed you aren't complaining with being awake this early in the morning." Grandma Longneck said. "I remember doing that at your age and it was torture. Don't you struggle?"

"I did at first but after living on my own for so long, I learned how to greet the bright circle like an old friend." Patty looked at them. "I hope you made some progress on the investigation."

Grandma Longneck sighed. "We have been going up and down the cliff side where the drag trail ended all day yesterday but unfortunately we have still turned up nothing. This really is a struggle, especially with your herd leader pressuring us for results."

"I'm sorry. Maybe I should talk to her not to lean on you so hard. By the way, have you heard the rumors going around the valley lately? They're very concerning and might be connected to…"

Littlefoot was browsing the trees and bushes on the edge, chewing leaves. He saw his grandparents' skeptical expressions but put the conversation in the background. He was in a good mood. For the most part, he felt awake, he didn't have a bad sleep story in several days, and he was filling himself up rather well. Patty and his grandparents could be given time to talk and relax. He had made some great progress in the game of jumping over other people's tails, and was ready to improve more today. He looked forward to doing it with his grandparents. Seeing a long-leaved bush, one that was rather succulent from when he remembered sampling it, Littlefoot went over to take a bite out. As he did so, he caught a shape moving among the trees and jumped. Then he realized who it was, and laughed.

"Hey Mr. Thicknose. You scared me. How are you doing?"

Mr. Thicknose had frozen mid-step, head turned to stare at him. In that brief second, Littlefoot thought Mr. Thicknose looked a bit drained but the latter forced in a smile.

"Oh hello Littlefoot. Didn't mean to startle you. I should be asking how you're doing."

"Okay." Littlefoot shrugged. "I've been having fun with my new friend, Patty. She's been teaching me how to jump over my tail, and other people's tails too."

"Really?" Mr. Thicknose's smile gained a genuine air. "Good. That's good. Especially at this time, you should be enjoying yourself."

Littlefoot's bright expression waned. "Uh Mr. Thicknose…are you okay?"

"I'm…managing." Mr. Thicknose sighed. "I won't lie, this matter with Mr. Clubtail has me rattled. It's bad enough he was murdered but after looking at this from various angles-"

"Oh, that's right." Littlefoot looked down. "You're helping with the investigation."

"Yes. I'm doing my duty but…looking into the mind of who could do this is exhausting. This isn't the first time I've dealt with death. I've been around for a long time and outlived many people, including a few of my students." Those old eyes flashed briefly with guilt. "But murder…I've only dealt with that a few times and it's never easy. I suppose there can be extenuating circumstances, but to kill someone because you want to…what purpose can someone have to do this?"

Littlefoot winced, the memory of the first sharptooth coming to mind. Mr. Thicknose stared pensively into the air before shaking his head.

"You don't need to listen to this," he said. "These aren't matters kids should be dealing with."

"No, that's okay" Littlefoot shook his head. "Sometimes you just need to talk."

Mr. Thicknose smiled and stepped forward. "Anyway, don't let me keep you. I need to go talk with your grandparents. Make sure to have a lot of fun with that new friend."

"You have some fun too." Littlefoot smiled wryly. "Maybe not in the middle of investigating but after it's over. You look like you need it."

"I…will try. Fun is good, especially for old fogies like me." Mr. Thicknose looked a bit wistful. "I wish I allowed myself to have more fun. So much of my life wasted pretending I knew everything, that I was above such 'measly' things as fun. I know better know, I'm grateful for the many extra cold times to apply it but…" he sighed. "There I go again. Well, see you Littlefoot."

With that, he walked on. Littlefoot stared. Before he could think about Mr. Thicknose's plight too closely, Patty bid farewell to his grandparents and she walked up to him, thoughtful.

"Shall we get going?" she asked.

Nodding, Littlefoot joined her in walking side-by-side to their next hang-out place. The only sounds were their steps as they moved through the valley. His eyes were lowered.

"You know, you could always eat with my grandparents," he said. "You don't need to stuff yourself and rush off to have a chat with them."

Patty shrugged. "It's a force of habit. I prefer to eat first thing when I wake up and the herd leader wants us to do that together before we go off to do our thing. With everything as it is now, it's probably best not to cross her."

"Yeah, it sounds like it." Littlefoot sighed, lowering his head. "Everyone is really tense."

"What's wrong?" she asked, glancing at him with concern. "You seem kind of down. I shouldn't have mentioned the current valley situation, I apologize-"

"No, it's okay." Littlefoot shook his head. "It's just, I was thinking about Mr. Thicknose. I bumped into him while eating and he seemed kind of down."

"Oh." Patty said. "Yes, I believe I heard your grandparents mention him. So that was him. I can see why someone who spent most of his life in the Great Valley would be shaken by a murder."

"Chomper kind of hinted at that two days back," he said. "He mentioned smelling blood on some of the valley residents who moved here."

"Life is complicated," she said. "In the Mysterious Beyond, you often make decisions you aren't sure are the right thing to do. I'm sure there are more than a few dinosaurs here who regret what they did out there. Even so, there are killings so monstrous they inspire horror no matter the experience."

"Yeah. No wonder most people don't want to talk about it."

She gave him a curious look. "Why does that occupy your mind? Does it stir up painful memories from your journey to the Great Valley?"

He averted his gaze. "You could say that."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe. I just…" Littlefoot groped for words and shook his head. "Oh, never mind. You don't need to hear about this anyway."

Patty stopped. "Littlefoot, this is something that is clearly bothering you. It would be hard to have fun if you have something occupying your mind."

"But it's just…I can't." He closed his eyes "I'm ashamed of what I did."

"Don't worry. I won't judge."

"You don't understand – if you hear about this, it would change how you look at me. I don't want you to be scared of me."

Patty brought her head close. "Littlefoot, I have seen and done a lot of things I thought good people would never do. It's okay. I will listen."

Littlefoot hesitated, staring into her eyes. He still had some reservation. There was a reason he didn't reveal what happened with the first sharptooth to anyone beyond his grandparents. But if Patty had been seen as much as she claimed, perhaps she would understand. His chest cooling in encouragement, he took a deep breath.

"You see, I…I have killed."

Patty's eyes widened. "You what?"

"You heard. I killed someone. I – I took a life."

Littlefoot lowered his head. Patty thought this over with surprise.

"I can't believe this. Someone so young…" she said. "I'm sure there's an explanation for this."

He nodded, gaze turned away. "When me and my friends were going to the Great Valley, we were being chased by the sharptooth, the one who killed Mother. He almost got us one time but we managed to escape. Near the valley, though, he was there, looking for food. He was in the way. He wasn't going to stop chasing us. But there was a pond nearby and I got an idea. If we could push a boulder on a cliff when he was right underneath it, we could send him into the water and drown him. I pushed my friends to help and it didn't go as planned but we managed to push the boulder on top of him and…"

Littlefoot didn't need to elaborate. Hesitantly, he sneaked a look at Patty. Her head was raised, thoughtful.

"You did all that? Amazing." she said. "You shouldn't beat yourself up over it. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. He was going to keep being a threat. You had no choice but to take him out."

That all sounded reasonable, Littlefoot thought. In ordinary circumstances, having to kill in self-defense would have been hard, but he could recover. It was relieving to hear Patty's understanding. But…

"That wasn't the only reason I did it." Littlefoot said. He took a deep breath. "A not tiny part of me also wanted – I mean, he killed Mother. I wanted him to suffer. Looking back, it's kind of creepy. I pushed my friends into the plan and it nearly killed them. That shook me out of wanting revenge again but…was I doing the right thing if there were a selfish feeling behind it?"

He looked up. Patty was looking a bit uncomfortable. Littlefoot winced. Had he gone a bridge too far with showing this side of himself?

"You got rid of that sharptooth to save yourself and the others, right?" she said finally. "Even with those feelings, that was what you wanted?"

"Yes," Littlefoot said, "but…"

"Then that still matters. Even if that desire for revenge was there, so was the decision to take out a threat to your survival. Look, people are complicated. They can have all sorts of feelings for doing the right thing. You're a good person. I can see that."

"You think so?" He looked up.

Patty nodded, a bit eagerly. "Life is full of mistakes and hard decisions. You can only do so much about them. At some point, you have to forgive yourself and move on. Remember your mistakes but learn to do good from them. In the end, you have to allow yourself to be happy."

Littlefoot turned this over. There was some sense to it. His grandparents and friends often told him something like that when he felt an urge to apologize for a long-ago ill. They had long forgiven him, so should he. The sharptooth probably wouldn't feel that way but diet aside, he wasn't a pleasant person anyway. What did it matter what Littlefoot was feeling, if his intentions were still right. Everyone had bad thoughts sometimes, but there was nothing exactly wrong with them unless acted upon. Littlefoot looked up and felt himself smiling.

"I see," he said. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Patty. At first, I didn't know what to feel but you made things clear again. I'm feeling much better now."

"No problem." Patty said. "That's what all good people should do, make others feel better."

"You should allow yourself to be happy too, Patty." Littlefoot said. "After all you went through, you deserve it."

"Really?" Patty smiled. "I'll try to. Anyway, let's put aside all this death talk."

"Yeah!" he bowed, grinning. "Let's get back to having some fun. I still need to improve with jumping over other people's tails. Make sure to teach me well with that."

Patty laughed and nodded. Smiling, Littlefoot walked on and she resumed rumbling beside him. He still had some anxieties swimming in him but for now, he felt assured to put them aside and allow himself to enjoy the day.

* * *

"Again."

Panting, Tria charged and cracked her horns against the boulder. There was a spray of rocks and a further fifth of the boulder parted from the rest. She and Mr. Threehorn were in a part of the valley where several boulders had rolled off the Great Wall and provided many targets to practice on. Tricia had been sent to Dinah and Dana's parents to be watched over again. She tried not think about this, as she couldn't afford the distraction.

"Again."

With a final pullback, Tria thrust her head at the boulder again and caused it to crackle to pieces. Mr. Threehorn examined the damage from where he sat nearby.

"Five strikes," he said. "You're still not angling right."

"This is harder than it looks, you know." Tria said.

"I know that. Now find another boulder and try again."

Biting back a sigh, Tria looked around and examined the boulders dotted about. She had been training for hours. From the first moment after her daughters left, she had been ramming boulders, going from one place to another when that area's supply ran out. She tried to remain determined but it waned with the exhaustion and repetitive work. She would have been able to cope better if not for her mate's attitude. Almost since yesterday, there had been a slow but perceptive change in his demeanor. The first day and a quarter, he had been tough but fair, giving praise where he saw it. But gradually the compliments dropped away and he became impatient and annoyed. He seemed distracted. He wasn't like some of the harsh Threehorn Ascension instructors from their past but it was getting on her nerves. What was his problem?

She found a suitable boulder and rammed into it, sending more debris onto the ground.

"Harder." Mr. Threehorn said. "Bend your back a little more. You can't charge properly if you're stiff."

With a flicker of irritation, Tria tried to relax her back as told and backed up. A second strike and a quarter fell off the boulder.

"Harder! You're not putting in enough!"

Tria backed away a third time and ran as fast as she could. There was a crackle and when she blinked the dirt out of her eyes, she saw she only took out a third of the boulder. With a grunt of frustration, she struck it again, hard, leaving only a part of the base standing. She panted, regathering herself as Mr. Threehorn got up and walked over to inspect the aftermath.

"Four strikes," he said. "Still not enough. You need to go at it with no hesitation."

She took another breath and looked, glaring. "I'm not hesitating. I'm trying as hard as I can."

"No you're not." Mr. Threehorn said. His gaze was slightly low, and he spoke strangely, almost automatically, like he was somewhere else. "I see you stiffen briefly before you run. You need to throw yourself at the boulder in order to break it quickly."

"I will. I just don't want to get myself hurt."

He stirred, glaring. "That soft heart has no place on the battlefield. When you have an opponent in front of you, you have to be more ruthless than them in order to win. In battle, there can be no hesitation"

"I know, it's just," she lowered her head, "I'm trying my best."

"That's not good enough. I thought you wanted to put your all into this." Mr. Threehorn sighed.

"You are doing so many little things wrong. It's really frustrating."

Tria stiffened. "Topsy…"

"Don't make excuses." His voice came out harsh. "The guys training with me got it quickly, and it was this pressure that drove them along. Why couldn't you have stopped being soft at everything and been strong enough to pass the first time?"

She raised her head, stepping closer. "Topsy, what's gotten into you?"

"I'm frustrated you're too hesitant and won't make the snap decisions needed to deal maximum damage to a target." Mr. Threehorn said.

"I know that, I'm just trying to learn how to actually do it carefully." Tria said, some frustration entering her voice. "I mean, I'm not unfamiliar with this, I am a threehorn."

"You don't do a good job of acting it. You rarely show the usual aggression we display."

"Maybe I have my own way of being a threehorn!"

Tria and Mr. Threehorn glared into each other's eyes. For a moment, their legs were splayed, giving no ground. Then Mr. Threehorn closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Look," he said, "it's not like you haven't improved these last few days. You're able to break down boulders in much fewer strikes and your stance and charging speed has improved. But you still need to work on the flaws I mentioned. You're smart, I thought you could see that."

Tria stared for a moment before looking away.

"You have a point," she said. "I do have some ways to go. I did say I would be okay with you being harsh in training me, but I didn't expect how harsh it would become." She sighed. "I know that isn't an excuse. I should be focusing on getting better but here I am whining like a child for not getting a reward for something basic."

Mr. Threehorn watched as she her lower her head. He softened.

"Well, I might have gone too far with that proper threehorn comment," he said. "I've had something troubling on my mind lately, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"No, it's fine. I should be able to take a teacher's moods in stride." Tria looked at him. "What's been on your mind?"

"Oh, this shouldn't be bothering me like this…but I've been getting the sense that Verter has been avoiding us lately."

Tria blinked. "Avoiding us? I assumed he was busy training Cera and Chomper."

"I know. But normally we could spare some moments to chat. But yesterday and today, he cut us off before we could get to much. Didn't you find that strange?"

She frowned. "Now that you mention it, he does make some time to talk."

"Did I do something wrong?" Mr. Threehorn wondered. "Did I say the wrong thing? What could I have said that turned him off like this?"

"What were you talking about last time?" Tria asked. "I saw you two yell when I was training last morning."

He looked uncomfortable. "I was becoming concerned about the level he was training them. He's been using vines as a whip. We talked about it, how you and I noticed some marks on Cera the first night."

She frowned. "Yeah. I'm not really comfortable with Verter's use of it. I don't like him ordering them around like followers in that way. As long as he didn't really hit them, I would be fine but today…"

"I know. There are a few more marks." Mr. Threehorn frowned. "Well, maybe this is necessary to keep Chomper in line."

Tria shifted her gaze. "I don't think that makes me anymore comfortable."

"Hey, if we want to make sure a potential troublemaker behaves, sometimes you have to scare them in order to keep them in line," he replied, rising up to glare. "It might be harsh but in this time of crises, we can't go easy on them."

She shifted uncomfortably but there was nothing she could say to that. "What else did you talk about?"

Mr. Threehorn held his glare but relaxed. "After we cooled down, we talked about what we got up to during the Time of Great Growing. He seemed very fond of those times."

"Hmm." Tria said. "I can't see what in that discussion might upset him."

He nodded. "I did disagree with him about the violence of that time but I wasn't being angry about it. I thought I sensed a shift in his mood then but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with his current behavior. It's just…something feels off…"

There was a pause as both considered the issue whose meaning they couldn't pinpoint but left them uneased. Mr. Threehorn shook his head.

"I'm being paranoid," he said. "Verter could really just be busy with training. I'll ask him when he comes around tonight. I guess I'm just not happy with being away from Cera and Tricia so much."

Tria nodded. "No, maybe that's also my issue. Mind you, Cera is usually off with her friends and we do send Tricia away occasionally to have time alone. But with these ghosts and Mr. Clubtail's death, I guess we don't like not having our family being away during these tough times."

"Precisely." Mr. Threehorn said. "I'm still not happy with Cera having to train but if she and Chomper have to, I'd rather be training them. No matter the awkwardness of Chomper being around, at least we'd be spending some time together."

She chuckled. "It would be a bit strange to have kids as fellow trainees but I agree. But let's see about getting me trained first."

"You're right. We should get back on track." He gave her a firm look "Be warned, I won't be as harsh but I'll still be firm and honest. Can you handle that?"

"I'm ready. I'll be a big girl this time."

Mr. Threehorn nodded, a smile flickering in. Getting back into position, Tria resumed ramming boulders and he gave feedback, the pair of them a bit more at ease after they aired out their concerns. That was all that was needed, a bit of communication between them. Though still \tired and sore, Tria felt in much better spirits. Even so, their minds couldn't help lingering on those who were absent.

* * *

Ducky and Spike hesitated, glancing at each other. Tega lay in the clearing from yesterday, eyes closed and mighty sides rising and falling. Ducky wondered if this was the right time. She and Spike hadn't been able to gather the nerve to talk with Tega since she arrived to sleep nearby this morning. They felt like they hit a sore point with her yesterday and decided to give her space. They spent the intervening time having fun with their siblings, playing tag and teasing each other, making up with them in a quiet way for their argument the day before. Even through these games, Ducky and Spike's minds lingered on the spiketail.

After morning turned to afternoon, though, it became clear Tega wasn't going to move through inaction. Ducky was far from close to finding out the truth about how selfish or selfless people were but she couldn't leave someone hurt by without trying to do something nice. Feeling Spike give her a nudge of support, he and Ducky stepped forward.

"Tega?"

Tega opened one eye. Ducky stood there with Spike, holding an armful of long grass. She went over and laid them in front of her.

"These are for you." Ducky continued. "We thought you might like them."

Tega examined her offerings.

"These are good," she admitted. "They are always on the higher grounds where they are a pain to get."

"Me and Spike climbed to get them." Ducky explained. "I am very good at climbing, I am, I am. It makes it easier to get treestars myself."

"A nice trick to have." Tega commented. "Wouldn't last to adulthood but it's useful while it lasts."

Spike almost sighed at that last comment but kept it quiet. Tega bent down, opening her mouth to bite on a piece of grass but paused. She gave them a suspicious look.

"This isn't about serving some point about selflessness, right?" she asked.

"No, it is not!" Ducky waved. "It is just…we want to say sorry. Talking about groups and selfishness made you uncomfortable. We should have saw that and stopped. We should have not asked about what was wrong after the tree crackle scared you. Some people need space to become okay but we were worried, so-"

"Fine." Tega sighed. "It's fine. I kind of had it coming. It's the most selfish thing, not to think about the past, especially if it contradicts your beliefs."

"What do you mean?" Ducky asked.

"I mean – oh this is going to be hard – you have a point." Tega said. Her expression was neutral. "It is better to survive in groups. I tried to dismiss it, that I didn't need another pair of eyes to watch my back but then I got into danger and…"

Tega fell silent, her grass chewing a bit wistful. Ducky exchanged glances with Spike, who was blinking, a bit surprised Tega would give ground like this.

"Um…if it is alright, can you tell us what that danger thing was?" Ducky asked.

Tega gaze drifted to her. "You expect me to spill my innermost secrets?"

"Me and Spike want to better understand you." Ducky's expression was concerned. "If we know where your issue came from, we will be more careful with dealing with it. At least, we will try."

"Eh, eh." Spike nodded, eyes serious yet warm.

Tega looked between the two, considering their words. She closing her eyes.

"Oh, alright," she said. "What you're saying does make sense. Remember that fire that came around after the Thundering Falls got blocked up?"

"We do, we do." Ducky said, Spike nodding. "That was…wow, how long ago was it? We did not like how everyone was becoming very mean because of the water situation, no we did not."

"Yes. That made me want to keep to myself even more. I suspected that my usual eating habits would make me more unpopular. Anyway," Tega said when Ducky and Spike frowned, "I wasn't near anyone when the fire started. I was by myself in the middle of a forest, eating dried out grass and pretending it tasted good, like Spike being my usual slothful self."

Spike made a questioning "eh?" Ducky stirred.

"Wait. What is sloth?" she asked.

"Another way to say lazy." Tega said. "Anyway, it took a while but I heard the cries of people being panicked about something and looked around only to see a fiery glow in the distance. Worried, I immediately knew what it meant and made tracks for the nearest evacuation path. I wasn't going to take any chances with where a fire could go in a dried out valley."

Tega adjusted the grass in her mouth, thinking.

"Um, are you not going to eat that?" Ducky asked.

"Hey, chewing grass calms me. Do you want me to be nervous when I remember my scariest memory?" Tega said. "Where was I? Oh yes. The smell of smoke was getting stronger. I picked up my pace. I knew from the word of travelers to be vigilant around fires. Dry wood and winds can make them go fast. Still, I thought I could get to shelter easily. But faster than I anticipated, a glow swept past and the fire was upon me. I cursed myself: I forgot the trees in my area burned more quickly. There was still space to maneuver, but I kept running into dead-ends or having a burning tree fall into my path. I was…becoming scared. Wherever I looked, there was fire and the smoke was making it hard to breathe. I started to realize…no one knows where I am. I'm alone here. I thought I wasn't going to make it."

In spite of herself, Tega's casual tone wavered. Ducky and Spike could understand why. They remembered running from fires. The intense heat, the choking smoke, the orange glow…it still shook them how close they and their friends came at times to being burned alive. It was only understandable Tega took some time to pull herself together.

"Then," she took a calming breath, "I saw a gap in the flames. I was desperate for any way out, so I leapt through it and fortunately I didn't get singed much. I got to the Great Wall cliffs as fast as I could and stayed there until the Thundering Falls surged back and put the fires out. But I realized something that day. Before, I thought my cleverness and common sense would allow me to survive on my own. Then I saw how things truly were. In order to survive, you had to know people. You had to be in groups."

Tega fell silent. Ducky and Spike had listened, wide-eyed. In the quiet that followed, she slid a foot forward as though to touch Tega's cheek but thought better of it.

"Wow, that sounds – horrible." Ducky said. "It must be so hard to have something important to you challenged like that."

"Yeah." Tega grimaced. "I learned my lesson. Loners aren't built for this world. It's so unfair. Sometimes I just wanna-" She glanced at Ducky. "Saying sorry about it won't help. That only makes it hurt even more."

"Oh, sorry – I mean, I just want to make sure you know you are heard." Ducky said. "Even if there is no way to solve the problem, knowing I hear and will be careful about it would make you feel better."

"And then I could be happy, and you wouldn't have to deal with another person's mood." Tega said. "Right?"

"That is…At least, I hope it is what is best for you. Besides, it is better to be happy, right?"

Tega surveyed Ducky, who squirmed but maintained her sincere expression. At length, Tega looked away.

"That's in everyone's self-interest," she said. "But you're right. I do want to think about something more pleasant."

"Good for you." Ducky smiled. "Do not worry. We will be sure not bother you about it again. Right Spike?"

Spike nodded and bayed, smile gentle. Tega snorted.

"You guys are saps," she said. "But I won't complain. Still, I'm not going to rely on a bunch of kids."

"Do not worry." Ducky said. "Relying does not go one way with friends. Sometime, there is a mutual helping."

"Mutual, huh?" Tega said, amused. "But you can't always avoid dependence on others. Cera and Chomper depend on Verter."

"Well, one knows more and the others are supposed to learn. That cannot be helped."

"But with one side being kids and the other being a stranger, one side has to really trust the other has a good self-interest in them."

"But Verter is not a stranger. He is Cera's parents' childhood friend." Ducky said. "He would want what is best for the kids of his friends, right?"

"People change when they grow up." Tega said. "I heard he kept your two friends from your little get together yesterday."

"That is probably because he has a lot of training for them to do. Cera and Chomper have to catch up a lot in order to become good in a short time, they do, they do."

"If that's so, why did he allow them to hang out with you the day before?" Tega asked. "Even with rushed training, there should be some time off. What in his self-interest caused him to change his mind? Eh, that's why I hated relying on strangers as a kid. You have less of an idea if they're looking out for your best interest. I'm glad I'm not that age anymore."

Ducky and Spike exchanged worried looks. They had decided to trust Cera and Chomper's word that Verter was trustworthy but Tega reopened their concerns. They thought it was sad but reasonable Verter would keep Cera and Chomper away to train them more but they wondered what else it could be? They shook themselves and talked on with Tega about other matters, but they couldn't dismiss the coincidence that the day after the gang expressed their worries about Verter, Cera and Chomper didn't come to them.

* * *

Chomper was exhausted. They had been training for hours, going over the same exercises over and over in what felt like a circle. They barely had enough time just to linger and fill their bellies before Verter rushed them to the next task. It was overwhelming and even he, desperate to find some use in Verter's training regiment, was at his limit.

They were climbing again. They scaled to a lower cliff path at the base of the Great Wall. Above them, the mountains stretched high, some enough to scratch a line through the sky puffies. The good news for them was that it wasn't as high as their exercise yesterday. The downside was that this cliff was more perpendicular and their strained muscles felt like they would stop working at any moment from the weight of the gravity. Verter had assured the ferns at the base would cushion their fall just as much but it was still nerve-wracking. Chomper grabbed for every crack or protrusion he could reach, breaths a bind in his chest.

"Are we…almost there?" he panted.

"Maybe." Cera said, limping her foreleg to another crevice. "Just…keep climbing."

"So…tired."

A protrusion Chomper stepped on fell out from underfoot. He yelped as he slid down, claws scratching through the rock until he stopped and reoriented himself. It was scary and disheartening every time he slid down or nearly fell but he couldn't give up. That cliff edge got closer. With exhaustion hollow in his bones, each scale felt like forever. Cera foreleg pulled up to a crevice but it slipped, sending a hidden rock sliding out. Cera wobbled as she fell back, leaning diagonally as her three other legs clung tightly to the rock, whoa's climbing in pitch as her body wavered more and more. Chomper glanced at her in worry but she managed to throw her spare foreleg back into the crevice. She calmed her breathing, as though to wrestle her fear down. Then she stole herself and resumed climbing. Chomper followed after her, suddenly wondering why two kids were being forced to do a treacherous task like climb a cliff but he didn't have the strength to pursue the thought.

With a last few grunts and gasps, Chomper pulled himself over the edge and Cera followed. They slumped together, tired, just wanting to give their muscles some measure of rest. For a few blissful seconds, they got that, spacing out with the relief of not moving. Then Verter's feet marched over.

"Good job." Verter said. "Now onto running."

Cera looked up, incredulous. "W-what?!"

"No time like the present," he commented. He chewed some lush round leaves with an energetic grind and he swallowed them, looking refreshed. "We need to pack as much training in the day as we can."

"But we just got here," she protested. "We're tired. I don't feel like I can take another step."

"Nope, have to keep going."

"Seriously." Cera glared. "We're – too – tired – to move. Give us our rest and we'll be right with you."

Verter gave a look. "I thought you said you could handle this training."

"Not with you barely giving us any time to rest. If we were any more tired, we would have fallen off that dang wall. If we do the next thing you want, we'd probably screw it up."

Chomper hesitated, glancing between them. Cera had a hard glare about her. He didn't want her and Verter to be fighting, but he was too exhausted to think of what could be said to calm them down.

Verter frowned. "It's just the kind of harsh training us threehorns are used to. We might be exhausted during a crises situation, so you need to know how to react in that state."

"Shouldn't we train how to do that when we're not tired first?" Cera asked. "It's kind of hard to do it tired when we're too tired to know what we're doing in the first place!"

"Keep your voice down!" Verter said hastily, glancing around. Was it just Chomper's imagination or was he doing that a lot lately?

"Why should I?" she asked. "Should you be training kids this hard? We might get hurt at this rate. Tria was right, there is some serious risk here."

Verter was annoyed. "And you listen to whatever she says?"

"She has some good ideas." Cera said. "If you continue acting like this, I'm going to have to ask my parents if this kind of training is safe for us kids."

"What?" his mouth fell open. "Now, you don't need to go that far."

"Why are you so hesitant? You seem okay with telling them some of what we're doing," she said. "I don't want to kick up a fuss but if I'm too tired to think, I'm going to kick up one."

Chomper looked from Cera and Verter as each of them spoke, touching his chin as he tried to follow the conversation. Two flyers passed by low, talking amongst themselves, only giving them a look as they flew on. For some reason, that further agitated Verter.

"But this could interrupt the flow of training," he protested. "In order to be ready at any moment, we can't delay or be distracted. If your parents get the wrong impression, they might stop the training. With this killer around, do you want to risk that?"

"That's-" Cera hesitated. "If it's better than getting hurt, then we have to take it. We're being rundown. If you don't slow down the pace, we might have to step back a bit."

"Cera, really." Verter said. "Do you feel the same way, Chomper?"

Chomper hesitated. "Cera has a point. I want to get better, but to get hurt like Tria said – I don't think that would be worth it."

There was a long silence. Chomper and Cera met Verter's gaze, uncertain or defiant, but both at the end of their rope. Verter watched them, at a loss. He turned to look around at the valley scenery, gaze unfocused as though debating with himself.

"Right," he said, voice turning brisk. "I hear you. Follow me. I know just what to do."

"I told you, we're tired." Cera said.

"But I know the perfect place to take a break. I want to make up with you. Come on. It's a bit of a walk but I know you'll like it."

"Well…"

Verter turned, expression pleading and Cera became uncertain. Pressing a foreleg to her chest, she exchanged looks with Chomper. If Verter really did know a good place to rest and wanted to makeup, they might as well give him a chance. Sighing, the pair pushed themselves up.

"Fine." Cera said. "Show us this wonderful place."

Verter turned and walked up the Great Wall. Taking a second or two to compose themselves, Chomper and Cera followed.

Despite the brief rest, they were still tired. Chomper's barely had the energy to put one foot in front of the other. Uncertainty lay in his gut. He felt guilty for disagreeing with Verter after all the threehorn did to support him, but his instincts told him Cera was right. They were being rundown. Even at their harshest, his parents didn't push him through this much so quickly. Still, Verter looked contrite about what he was doing. Maybe this rest place would be good and they could resume training on the right foot. He hoped the place was a nice meadow of grass, the kind that was soothing to lay down and nap on. With how tired he was, he could almost imagine the soft green blades, stirring in a gentle breeze.

He was so tired, it took some seconds for him to realize the green he was seeing was actually from the crisscross of vines hanging from the ceiling of the cave they were walking though.

"Wait, where are we going?" Cera asked.

"To our rest place." Verter said.

Verter stopped and Chomper and Cera slowed not far from his tail. Chomper frowned as he looked around and took a sniff.

"But this cave leads right to the Mysterious Beyond," he said. "Why would our rest place be-?"

Smack! Cera cried out and Chomper whirled around just in time to see her crumble to the ground. He looked about wildly for what attacked her but he didn't notice the tail tip descending toward him until it was too late.

With another smack, Chomper let out a whimper and fell beside Cera. Verter stood there. For a moment, he didn't acknowledge the unconscious forms behind him. Then he let out a long, low sigh.

 **Next time…**

 **Part 2**


	16. The Next Fall Part 2

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 16: The Next Fall Part 2**

Petrie, Ruby, and Don sat a distance from the nest. They were doing another of their debates after dinosaur watching. Petrie never thought it would be hard work to sit around and think a lot. He wished he had been able to offer more of his observations but his throat felt a bit parched. Ruby did a lot of the talking. Mama Flyer was out on an errand and had asked before she left if anyone had any food requests. Don declined to have any as usual but Petrie ordered for those red berries she got two days back. He felt like he needed all the help he could get. His brothers and sisters sent bewildered looks every now and then but didn't say anything. Papa Flyer tended to the little flyers, playing a little hopping game with them with his hand. He was determinedly not looking at Don.

Ruby tapped her chin, frowning. She had been taking in what she observed from the passing dinosaurs and debating with Don. Now it was her turn to make an argument and she considered Don's request.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Just give out your best argument." Don said. "It's values and deficiencies. We shall see how much progress our discussions had."

"Really?" Ruby said. "I'm not sure. I don't really have an argument to respond to."

"Pick one, any of them." He waved a hand. "For Wing Father's sake, respond to, say, the theory the killer is someone angry with Mr. Clubtail. We discussed it before. Just take some time to think about it."

Ruby frowned and rubbed her chin. Petrie watched as the thoughts moved across her eyes and she tried to clink them together.

"I think that idea has value," she said at last, "but you would have to look at Mr. Clubtail's injuries first to see if it was someone angry who did it. If it was an angry person who did it, then the injuries would have anger marks. If so, there are other things to think about. Mr. Clubtail doesn't seem like the type to make a comment that would make someone murderous but there are angry people who would murder others for mild insults. My parents told me some angry people have very delicate pride. So we would have to look for people who have delicate prides and have been violent. Mind you, that angry someone might be clear-headed enough to attack in a way that doesn't leave those marks behind and plan his revenge carefully but it is a possibility to consider. Even people with grudges can be smart at times."

Don examined her, and Ruby sat tensely. Then his expression relaxed.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," he admitted. "That argument is quite convincing."

Ruby smiled. Petrie looked up with a smile.

"Good job, Ruby!" he said.

Don watched them with a look that was almost…positive.

"I didn't think you would be able to keep up but you certainly work hard," he said. "You have improved much in these three days."

"We have all improved." Petrie said. "Well, me haven't improved as much but…"

"Hey, you have." Ruby said, placing a hand on his back. "I have seen you make some nice observations of passing dinosaurs and give nice ideas in our debates. You have improved but it hard to see it unless you see it as someone other than yourself."

"True," he murmured. "Well, me find it hard to say thoughts well and me not see all the things Ruby sees – almost like they ghosts."

"Ghosts?" Don started, looking around. He glared. "Don't scare me like that."

Petrie jerked, confused. "What? Oh, sorry."

"Though where have the ghosts gone?" Ruby mused. "They have been gone for a while now."

"Maybe it's like the weather." Don said. "They move through and are now elsewhere to bother other people. Anyway, to return to Petrie's concerns, everyone improves at different paces. It's pointless to compare and contrast about it – that would only get in the way. For Wing Father's sake, don't let your guard down though. You still have much progress to make."

"Yes, Don." Ruby said, almost rolling her eyes.

Petrie sighed but found himself smiling. Don's advice sounded right. He was still a bit envious but he was determined to work harder and concentrate on his own pace. Really, Don offered more than a bit of sound advice. Being in each other's presence seemed to do them all good. Though Don didn't smile, this was the most at ease Petrie had ever seen the elderly flyer. Being exposed to people who he could teach and interact with must have softened him. Petrie smiled. Maybe he was good inside after all.

"Moving on, we also need to consider other perspectives." Don said. "We should return to the idea that Mr. Clubtail's death was a means for another end. Do you still push against that?"

"Well, not so much against it," Ruby frowned. "It's just we don't know much that leans toward it."

Petrie nodded. "Someone could do this to get people scared and make those like Littlefoot's grandparents look bad so they be leader but nobody doing that."

"People don't kill only for grandiose purposes." Don said. "Often it is done for smaller reasons but coveted for with a passion that can kill."

"Well, that isn't very specific." Ruby crossed her arms. "There are a lot of people who want things but not all people make what they want obvious."

"But what if it was a desire that was very open, so deep that even those not paying attention could see it?"

"Oh, you mean like Verter?" Petrie said. "Everyone really notice he want to train Cera and Chomper. It kind of strange. Even me could see…see…" He sat up. "Wait."

Ruby glanced at him questioningly but she too stiffened. They looked at Don expecting him to scoff or roll his eyes at the implied idea but he only watched them patiently.

"You can't be serious." Ruby said.

"I'm not saying anything." Don said.

"Verter do this?" Petrie cried. "That would be…no, no. He Cera's parents' friend."

"Being friends doesn't preclude people from nefarious actions."

"You wrong. Friends would never do something like that. Though," Petrie touched his chin, "it weird he couldn't train Cera and Chomper first day they met and after Mr. Clubtail die, he get what he wanted."

"That could be a coincidence." Ruby said. "He wouldn't go that far – I mean, just to train Cera and Chomper? Who would do that?"

"Ah, but that's the thing." Don replied. "One of your friends is a sharptooth."

"Yes!" Petrie said. He hopped to his feet, pacing around with nervous energy. "Threehorns hate sharpteeth but they both can be mean and like fighting. What if Verter really want them to help him with threehorn fighting? Oh, this bad, this bad."

"That's right." Don nodded with satisfaction. "It's good to have someone see sense."

"But not everyone who like fighting are the killing type." Ruby said. She looked anxious. "Killing isn't exactly common among threehorns anymore, at least not from what I heard."

"Have you checked with all threehorns?" Don asked. "Even if that were true, wouldn't it still be wise to investigate the matter?"

"Yes, Ruby." Petrie said. "There are scary patterns around him. Shouldn't that be enough to check on them?"

"That – that does concern me." Ruby touched her chin. "Still…"

Before she could continue, Mama Flyer flew in. She landed at the nest, looking rather breathless. Papa Flyer looked up in puzzlement.

"What's got you all rushed?" he asked.

"Cera, Chomper, and Verter weren't at their usual training spot." Mama Flyer said.

Petrie and Ruby sat up. Don whipped his head around.

"What?" he said.

Papa Flyer shrugged. "Well, they might be training elsewhere."

"I thought of that but I checked the other fighting grounds and even the nearby resting places and they weren't there either." Mama Flyer rubbed an arm uneasily. "I don't mean to cause alarm but it is strange."

Petrie felt a stir in his stomach. There was a slight feeling of dread, distant but building, a tingly rush familiar from his and his friends' adventures but that only made him more confused and nervous.

"What – what happening?" he said. "Are – are friends in danger? They are, aren't they!"

"That should be obvious." Don said sharply. "Something suspicious is going on. We need to take action."

"Okay." Petrie said, opening his wings. "Taking action now!"

"Wait!" Ruby raised a hand. "This might be nothing. We don't want to interrupt their practice just because our minds went to scary places."

"You have put the clues together." Don looked frightened. He made shooing motions forward. "Go on, talk to them! In this time, do you really want to take a chance with your friends?"

"Yes, Ruby." Petrie clasped his hands. "Me worried about them. We have these clues, shouldn't we do something now?"

Ruby hesitated, glancing at him and Don. Petrie stared up at her, hoping she would take this seriously. They had to do something quickly. She still looked conflicted, but as she rubbed her chest, she began to look scared. Ruby raised a hand to her beak.

"Chomper…" she said.

She got up and Petrie had to hastily fly after to catch up as they went over to his parents.

"Uh...we don't mean to concern you but what you just talked about might be a concerning situation." Ruby said.

Mama and Papa Flyer turned and stared. They were surprised but as the seconds went by, a hint of concern came in.

Meanwhile, Tria heard a crackle and she stepped back as she examined the remains of the boulder. It was mid-afternoon, and she had continued training since their earlier conversation. Though she was covered in dust and some scratches, she was in a much better mood. Her mate had continued to give feedback, and though it could be stern, it was fairer. She had paced herself better, taking more breaks to eat and rest. Those might be little matters but in the end, they helped made the training easier to handle. Mr. Threehorn got up from where he had been watching and walked over.

"Three strikes," he said. "Good job, dear."

"You think so?" Tria asked. "I don't feel like I did that much different."

"You followed my instructions and made the little changes that make all the difference." Mr. Threehorn said. "There is still much you need to improve on but you have made progress."

"Really?" she smiled. "Well, maybe I have it in me for this fighting thing after all. Thanks for being a good trainer."

"Well…" He looked away. "After earlier, I'm not sure I'd call myself good."

"Hey, we all make mistakes. I wouldn't have had any idea of how to improve myself without you. Thanks, Topsy. I mean it."

Mr. Threehorn lowered his head bashfully but smiled. They stared at each other and for a moment, Tria thought they were back to how their relationship was before…

"Mr. Threehorn! Tria!"

The pair turned. Ruby was living up to her kind's name, running toward them as fast as her long legs could carry her, Petrie and Mama Flyer flying not far behind her. Ruby slumped in front of Mr. Threehorn and Tria, panting as she caught her breath.

"What's the problem?" Mr. Threehorn asked.

"It's Cera and Chomper." Ruby said, straightening. "Petrie's mother couldn't find them at their training spot."

Tria and Mr. Threehorn stiffened. They stepped closer.

"What?" Tria said.

"Mama say she usually see them at their fighting ground." Petrie answered. "Now she can't see them there."

"They could be taking a break-" Mr. Threehorn began.

"But Petrie's mother also looked at their likely break spots and they weren't at those spots." Ruby said. "It's worrying they aren't seen in public with this killer around. We think you should look for them before anything worrying happens."

"Why, has there been news on the killer?" Tria said quickly.

"Well," Mama Flyer hesitated, "we think there might be a suspect close to them."

"Who is it?" Mr. Threehorn said. "Is it someone who could cause even Verter trouble, or…?"

Ruby, Petrie, and Mama Flyer stiffened and glanced at each other nervously. For a moment, Mr. Threehorn and Tria were confused. Then something clicked.

"Don't be ridiculous." Mr. Threehorn said. "He would never-"

"Are you implying what I think you're implying?" Tria said shakily.

"It wasn't so much my idea as Petrie's and Ruby's." Mama Flyer said.

"Those two?" Mr. Threehorn glared. "What could they possibly know about this killer?"

"We noticed some strange patterns about your friend." Ruby said. "Wasn't it strange that after you refused your friend's offer to train Cera and Chomper, Mr. Clubtail's died the next day and you were forced to let him train them?"

"That's just a coincidence," he said impatiently. "That doesn't prove anything."

"But he training them so hard." Petrie said. "They so tired they can barely move and think. That make them dependent on him."

Tria nodded reluctantly. "It is harder than we like…"

"But it's necessary." Mr. Threehorn said firmly. "Being a stern trainer is normal."

"But the first day with training, he allowed them to play with us." Ruby said. "After we expressed our concerns about him, the next day they didn't show up."

"That's-" Mr. Threehorn faltered. "He probably just has to pack a lot of training in the day. They need to prepare with this threat around."

"But without any breaks or time for friends?" Petrie said. "Me not good with training but me thought you start easy before going hard."

"That's true." Tria said. "You did begin easy with me."

"And you told him Cera hit rocks and we adventure a lot but he say nothing about training until he find Chomper," he said. "He very interested in Chomper. Ain't that strange?"

Mr. Threehorn looked uncomfortable. "I – I know him. He's been my friend for a long time. He wouldn't do anything bad."

"But you haven't seen him for a long time." Ruby said. "People can change, especially if trying to survive in the Mysterious Beyond. I know, my parents have talked about it."

Mr. Threehorn appeared troubled by this. He tried to glare but his gaze flickered as he thought some things over. Petrie spoke up.

"Verter alone with Cera and Chomper," he said. "We might be silly but – we worried about them. Can you check?"

"I just –" Mr. Threehorn shook his head. "This could be nothing. You're being paranoid. We shouldn't embarrass them by interrupting."

"But wouldn't it be better to check just in case?" Ruby asked. She clasped her hands. "Please, Chomper is with them. You could excuse yourself if it is nothing…but isn't that better than not doing anything and this being something?"

Mr. Threehorn opened and closed his mouth. There was silence.

"Topsy, I think we should check on them." Tria said nervously. "What do you think? Topsy!"

Mr. Threehorn didn't say anything. His eyes were wide.

Cera groaned. She felt groggy. The last thing she remembered was Verter taking them somewhere to relax. She hadn't planned on falling asleep but at least she got some rest. Still, she wasn't very comfortable. She was lying on hard, cracked earth. She thought Verter was going to take her and Chomper to some place nice and grassy, no wonder she didn't feel well-rested. Even her body felt a bit restricted in movement…

Then she shifted around and realized her body wasn't restricted by exhaustion but by plant matter tied around her.

Opening her eyes, she looked around and found herself on one of the cliff trails in the Mysterious Beyond. She saw the many bare mountains and rock formations rise in front of her, only distant scrappy tuffs of trees and grass to add variety to the scenery. A rock from the cliff parted and fell, tacking against the mountain before landing with a distant crumble. It was a long way down. Nervously, Cera slid away from the edge. A groan made her turn. Chomper lay several feet to her left, rubbing his muzzle.

"What happened?" he mumbled.

Cera turned and stared. Any wry comment she had about wishing a height-enthusiast like him was closer to the edge instead left her when she saw he was bound up as well. "Chomper…"

"Ah, now you're awake." Verter's voice came over them. "Move."

Only then did she become aware of a green jawline and forelegs hovering at the edge of her vision. "Huh?"

"I said, move!"

The tug became harder and Cera and Chomper yelped as they were pulled to their feet. Verter's forelegs moved quickly as he walked down the path. The pair attempted to keep up, stumbling, startled as they looked at themselves. They were covered with vines, crisscrossing their torsos and above and around their limbs. They constricted their movements, making them barely able to keep up. The vines led up to Verter's neck, where it was smoothly tied around. They stared at the back of his frill with confusion and a bit of fear.

"What are you trying to pull?" Cera demanded.

"Is this a prank?" Chomper said nervously. "Seriously, why are we tied up?"

Verter didn't respond, still moving. He wasn't so much as looking at them. They were forced to move at a fast walk, their muscles aching with the exhaustion of today's training but Cera still had enough energy to be annoyed.

"Hey, we asked you a question!" she snapped. "Don't ignore us!"

"Stop moving so fast." Chomper panted, struggling to keep up. "Come on, let us rest. Some of us still haven't recovered from training."

"No breaks." Verter said.

"What do you mean, no breaks?" Cera said. "Come on, let us go. Let-"

Verter walked faster, and Cera and Chomper were all but running just to meet his gait. Looking around, they appeared to be on a Great Wall path on the Mysterious Beyond side of the mountain. Though she couldn't look back, Cera could tell they were moving rapidly from the entrance to the Great Valley, the path sloping down to some distant, imperceptible point on the ground. Cera's chest burned with cold, like earlier when Verter made his break offer, and a terrible suspicion came to her mind.

"No, no, no," she said. "This has got to be a joke. You can't be seriously thinking of-"

"What, Cera?" Chomper said. He was also getting scared. "Verter, please stop. We're still tired, and haven't eaten in a while."

"You will eat when told to." Verter's voice was firm. "We will only be making stops when absolutely necessary."

"What are you talking about?" Cera asked nervously. "Why are you taking us out of the valley? Let us go. Seriously, let us go!"

Cera stopped and placed her feet into some deep cracks. She stopped for a second and the vine connected to her tightened and struggled. But there was a tug and Cera flipped and landed, legs kicking as she was dragged on her side. The vines couldn't cushion some of her skin from being scratched from the pebbles and protrusions. Cera cried out and scrambled, having to throw herself to her side to stagger back to her feet, wincing from a few cuts and scrapes.

"Cera!" Chomper cried. "Verter, please. Why are you acting like this?"

"Chomper, he's not going to listen to us!" Cera said. "We need to free ourselves. We-"

She bent down to bite on the vines on her left leg but her head was constricted a few inches out of reach. She tried to do the same for her other leg but she got the same result. She saw the vine trailing over her connected to Verter and attempted to hop and bite at it, but they were walking too fast.

"I – I can't reach it!" she said.

"Should you be doing that?" Chomper asked. "I mean, maybe this is part of training."

"What part of training involves suddenly waking up and being tied in vines?" Cera said. "Come on, do you remember falling asleep? Something weird is going on and we need to take action!"

Chomper looked unsure but the more he thought about it, the more fear came to his eyes. He twisted his head this way and that, biting for the vines on his chest and ankles, teeth missing them by inches.

"Ugh, ah, I can't reach them either!" he said. "My head's too big. What do we do?"

Cera glared up. "Stop right now, Verter. We mean it. We don't want to go along with this. We'll – we'll scream. We'll call for help. Help! We're being kidnapped! Hel-"

Crack! Cera had a brief glimpse of a something thick and green rapidly coming in before her cry for help became a yowl when the base of her sore horn got snapped. Verter pulled the whipping vine back as he stood in place, blue eyes furious.

"Do you want to bring sharpteeth on us?" he hissed. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"You're the one who's making this hard!" Cera said, glaring. "You're kidnapping us, we fight back. Oh, if Dad knew-"

Her words were interrupted by a scream when her right leg got cracked by the vine, nearly collapsing as those tired leg muscles flared with agony. Chomper watched with disbelief.

"Cera!" he cried. "Verter, stop! This has got to be a joke, right? You can't really be doing this."

"Quiet! I don't want any backtalk." Verter flicked the vine back. "I was patient with your useless babbling but you're going to be silent and do as I say."

"No!" Cera said, breaths shaky but defiance in her gaze. "We're not being dragged away from our home. We're not living with you or-"

Verter raised the vine and Cera's world soon became a blaze of pain. She cringed and cried out with each whip, that vine hitting sore muscles and cuts with agonizing accuracy. Cera shut her eyes, waiting for the assault to stop. She could barely make out Chomper yelling and struggling for her.

"Stop it, stop hurting her!"

"Let that be a lesson to you." Verter brought his head close, breaths billowing into her. "This is how we are going to conduct ourselves from now on."

"No, we aren't." Cera said faintly. The reality of the situation was setting in and she was shaking. "You're taking us from our family, our friends. Daddy. Tri-"

Crack. Another strike from that vine. Cera lowered her head and whimpered, a new thrum of pain joining the rest. She swore he wasn't leaving a single mark yet every strike was more painful than she could bear.

"Stop Verter!" Chomper said. He was almost crying. "I thought you were our friend."

"I am." Verter said. "I am doing what's best for you."

"No, you aren't! A true friend wouldn't do this, wouldn't drag us from our home and-"

This time, the vine came for him. It cracked his tail. Chomper stumbled and gave a whine, pain shaking through him.

"We'll be concentrating on survival now." Verter said. "Keep your mind on that basic mission."

Cera shook her head hard. "No, no. I don't want this."

"Do I have to hit you again?"

"Don't touch her!" Chomper said.

"Because if you moan and groan one more time-"

"I said, don't! Touch her!"

Verter glared at Chomper. "What are you going to do? Do you have a way to stop me?"

Verter whipped his vine in Cera's direction. She cringed, closing her eyes. It kept missing but she could feel it whoosh over her closer…closer…

"Stop! Don't you dare!" Chomper closed his eyes, shaking. "If you hurt her – if you hurt her –" His eyes opened, revealing slits. "If you hurt her…"

Snarling, Chomper rushed toward Verter's left forefoot and bit at it. Crying out, Verter raised the foot, pushing Chomper to the ground. Chomper lay on his back for a second but he leapt back up and disappeared behind Verter's foot, clawing and biting sounds in the air. Wincing, Verter raised his foot and pressed Chomper onto his back, leaving only Chomper's head exposed, roaring and twisting in place.

"Chomper," Verter said. "Stop."

That foot came down an inch more. Those struggles slowed. After a few seconds, the snarling abated and only a whimper could be heard.

"That's better." Verter said. "That wasn't much, but we'll see about sharpening those skills. Are you going to cooperate?"

He released Chomper, who rose to his feet. He was shaking, tears in his eyes. There was a bit of red on his claws and muzzle, but he looked nothing more than defeated. Satisfied, Verter stepped forward.

"Well, shall we get go-"

There was a scream. Verter's eyes darted to Cera as she fell to her side, spitting as her face twisted in agony. Not too far from her mouth was the vine connecting her to Verter, with chew marks on it. As much as she loathed taking advantage of Chomper's plight, Cera couldn't stand there and do nothing. She thought if she could bite down on the connecting vine, she could escape and possibly lead a distraction that could free Chomper as well. But the second she bit on the vine, her mouth was filled with a terrible burning sensation and she couldn't help crying out. For a moment, all her world was that horrible taste coating her mouth, and she pressed her cheek to the ground as she tried to lick and spit it out. Then she saw Verter watching her and froze.

"It seems I'm going to have to be harsh." he said quietly.

Verter raised his head and Cera and Chomper cried out as they were thrown off their feet. They struggled dangling on their connecting vine as he swooped them over the cliff. Cera screamed when the long drop came into view.

"What are you doing?" she said, tongue numb.

"You thought you could bite your way to freedom?" Verter asked. "I chose those vines because they were nauseating for both green and meat eaters. This is your punishment for being disobedient."

Cera whimpered and struggled in the air. The rock near the bottom of the mountain must be as large as her head but it looked like a pebble from this distance. Already, she imagined what would happen if she fell, the rush of air around her, her body moving wildly as that distant ground rapidly neared. Her stomach dropped with every creak her connecting vine made and she closed her eyes.

"Alright, enough!" she said. "I don't like this!"

"Admitting weakness? That's a change." Verter mocked.

"You made your point, okay?" Chomper said. "Leave her alone."

"If she wanted to be left alone, she should have cooperated." Verter said. "Now she suffers the consequences and-"

There was a snap. Cera fell an inch, vine creaking, body swinging about wildly.

"What?" Verter said, startled.

"Cera!" Chomper said. "Get us out of here!"

Cera's connecting vine made another snap. Her heart seized. Though she only bit the vine once, it had been hard and now it couldn't take her weight. She screamed as she fell a few feet, the momentum of the fall making her swing even more. Panicked, Verter stepped back, but that only made Cera swing forward. She yelled, waving her legs to put up some resistance, but she couldn't stop herself from nearing the cliff face at too fast a pace…

She stopped abruptly. She panted, swinging in place only a few inches from the wall of rock. Then she was jerked and pulled up. She was unsure of what was happening until Mr. Threehorn's determined face briefly came into view, grunting as he pulled her to the side and put her on the firm, assuring ground. Her heart soared.

"Daddy!" she said.

He smiled at her and for a moment, her worries fell away and all was right with the world…

Then she felt a jerk in her connecting vine and she was dragged away. Cera staggered, scrabbling her legs under her as she looked behind her, at the father she was being taken away from.

"Verter, what do you think you're going?" Tria's voice demanded.

"Verter!" Mr. Threehorn said.

Verter stopped. His eyes searched the ground, conflict in his gaze.

"We are just going out to train," he said finally.

"Verter-" Mr. Threehorn began.

"This is perfectly ordinary, you don't need to wor-"

"Verter, look at me!"

Verter flinched. Slowly, he turned around, Cera and Chomper tugged to turn with him until she was near the rock wall and Chomper the cliffs. Mr. Threehorn stood two threehorn-lengths away, Tria a step behind him.

"Don't tell me you are doing what I think you're doing." Mr. Threehorn said. His voice broke. "You aren't taking them away, right?"

Verter opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Lowering his head, he sighed.

"It would have been better if you didn't see this," he said.

Mr. Threehorn's breath shook. He closed his eyes and composed himself.

"Just tell us what this is all about?" he said harshly.

Verter was silent for a moment.

"Looks like I'm not getting out of this," he said. "I thought you would understand, Topps. More than anybody. Has the Great Valley really changed you that much?"

"What are you talking about?" Tria demanded. "We would have never approved of you taking our kids."

"I was never talking to you." Verter said, glaring at her. "Have you really forgotten, Topps? The struggle to survive? Our threehorn way? I've fought so many battles out there in the Mysterious Beyond, and I haven't."

"Yes, I remember." Mr. Threehorn said. "I remember how hard I had to be on my opponents to win. Sometimes I had to give them injuries they might still carry so we could survive."

Verter nodded dreamily. "The Mysterious Beyond tends to bring that out of us. In the search for food, territory, standing, we fight. We threehorns are made to struggle in tough environments to survive. In a way, it's a natural home for our way. That's why I've been out there for so long. To fight until you both are tired and scratched up…ah, you never feel more alive. I like after all the effort and risk, you can ground an opponent into submitting defeat. Getting that look of humiliation and resentment…I can never get enough of it."

Mr. Threehorn sighed. "So you like fighting. You aren't the first threehorn to be like that. What does this have to do with…?" He fell silent, looking uneasy

Verter continued, not appearing to have heard. "Not everyone is humiliated or resentful when they get defeated. Some just get back up and move on like nothing happened. Oh, that made me mad. Even when others expressed appreciation for a good fight, I didn't feel like they were taking me seriously. They mightn't always say much but I could tell they were looking down on me. My pride couldn't take it. So to get that feeling of satisfaction, I had to be go far to get that look of humiliation. Sometimes I had to go a lot farther."

There was a chill. Cera stepped back and even Chomper with a flare of his nostrils widened his eyes as he got the implications of his words. Her parents stared.

"Oh no." Mr. Threehorn said. "Verter, you can't mean...?"

"I beat them until even the light left their eyes." Verter said, with relish. "To see that contempt get replaced by fear and desperation as they realize there is no escape …that is power. I would make them regret ever challenging me or not taking me seriously by making them pay with their lives. That will only make sure others don't question me. It is an extension of how we threehorns should be, and I am proud."

Verter raised his head, blue eyes transported. Cera could see Chomper standing back, mouth open in horror. Mr. Threehorn and Tria watched with disbelief and pain. Then Verter lowered his head with disappointment.

"But that way has been falling," he continued. "Ever since the great earthshake, threehorns have been turning away from our ruthless instincts. Now there is more talking, cooperation – not only amongst each other but with other kinds. This hasn't been happening only with threehorns. Even other aggressive kinds have been suffering this decline. Even domeheads, _domeheads_ are going this way. I saw two of them express concern for Cera and Chomper when we started training. There is a malaise going on and the Great Valley is the worst of it. All this softness and cooperation…it makes me sick!"

Verter spat at the ground, and Cera jumped away. Mr. Threehorn was shaking his head.

"So it is true," he said. "You really did do this. Verter, why?"

"Why?" Verter repeated. "Topps, aren't we threehorns? Isn't aggression part of our nature? We fight to show dominance, to show who is right. What I am doing is only a natural extension of this."

"No." Mr. Threehorn shook his head. "We might be harsh but what we wouldn't go so far as to be cruel."

"Really? I remember the smirks you wore when you put others in their place. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy making them squeal and moan?"

He winced. "That – that's…"

Verter sighed. "This is why I didn't talk to you. You have been in the Great Valley too long. But these two still have potential. They could embrace who they really are. Having lived in the valley, I knew they might resist my thinking, so I had to subtly move them onto my path."

"So that's what this is about." Cera said shakily. "You were training us to make us like you."

"It makes a scary sense." Chomper said. "I mean, he worked us so hard we couldn't think – and he stopped us from going to our friends so they couldn't tell us something might be wrong."

"I was planning on taking it slow, to wean them from their weak friends, but with the suspicions about me rising, I had to speed things up." Verter said. "Don't worry, I'll treat them well. Cera could know what it's like to be a true threehorn. And I will have Chomper. Just think, having a sharptooth by your side in the Mysterious Beyond. With the right training and instruction, no one would dare challenge us. It would be a useful way to show power and not be disrespected again. The valley has left them weak and servile, but with me they could show their true potential. Out there, they would be strong and fierce and take no quarter just like threehorns and sharpteeth should!"

Cera, Chomper, and her parents listened to this, horrified. She felt like something had been torn out of her. She liked Verter, how he laughed at her jokes and was so easygoing. Even with her annoyance and suspicion lately, that he was acting friendly just to make them go along with his plan was still a betrayal. She could see the devastation in Chomper's face. All that hard work and encouragement was just to achieve Verter's own ends. But her parents looked worse. Their mouths were open, disbelieving. Their friend, their best friend had done all these terrible things…

"They're not going with you."

Verter's gaze turned, colding. "What?"

"They're not going to with you." Tria repeated. "You have lost your mind. 'Making them as their kinds should?' They're coming back to the valley where they belong. "

"She – she's right." Mr. Threehorn found his voice. "We never agreed to this, the harshness of the training or this plan to have them live with you in the Mysterious Beyond. Give them back."

Verter's expression became plaintive. "Topps, really-"

"Cera and Chomper didn't agree to this either. That you took them against their will…I can't approve of that. They shouldn't be dragged off to the Mysterious Beyond to endure who-knows-what."

"They will be enduring it with me." Verter insisted. "I'll make sure they come to no harm. They need this to become stronger, to become the people they're meant to be."

"What you want them to be." Mr. Threehorn replied. "What they need is to be with those they love and have a childhood. Cera and her friends have endured enough hardship. It's why we went to the Great Valley in the first place, to have a better life. I won't have you take that away from them."

Verter growled. "You're making a big mistake. The world is harsh. They need this."

"They also need happiness." Tria said. "However tough things might be, kids need to enjoy life. Even for our kind, it's what they deserve."

Verter's burning gaze turned to her. "You…you ruined him. He used to be so tough and strong, but you had to come in with your softness, and make him weak. Why couldn't you just stay away?"

Tria stepped back. Before she could say anything, Mr. Threehorn cut in.

"Don't go acting like I had no say in what happened," he said. "I've been changing long before Tria came around. What you're suggesting isn't something I'd ever wanted for my girls. I won't allow you twist my Cera with your sick games."

Verter opened and closed his mouth, faltering to uncertainty. He glanced between Cera and Chomper, the longing in that gaze making her stomach twist. He looked at Mr. Threehorn and Tria.

"We – we can work this out, right?" Verter said plaintively. "You can have your daughter back in exchange for Chomper."

Chomper blanched. "W-what?"

"Come on, it's sensible. He's only going to burden you anyway." Verter continued. "A sharptooth child, in the Great Valley? You said it yourself Topps, you fear what will happen when he grows up. I could take him away, make sure you won't have to deal with him again. I'll make sure he won't be a danger to anyone."

"He's lying." Cera said. "He just said he was going to use him in threehorn fights. He's going to make Chomper attack innocent people."

"No, no." Chomper shook his head. "Please don't make me do this."

"There are no innocents in the world of threehorn battles." Verter said. "I'll put him to proper use in this leaf eater world. I'll make sure he won't become the threat to others he would otherwise."

"Please!" Chomper pleaded. "I don't want this. I want to be with my friends, I don't want to do these terrible things!"

Cera looked at him stricken, and glared at Verter. "Chomper isn't a threat, he wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Is that what you call this?" Verter raised his left forepaw, revealing scratches and bite marks. "You see the red on his muzzle. He was going wild on me not long ago."

"Chomper was defending me from your whipping, that doesn't count!"

"But it signals what's to come," he said. "You knew this was going to end in heartbreak either way. Why not cut your losses? Come on Topps, you were always suspicious of him anyway. You know I'm right."

Mr. Threehorn's expression faltered. Tria sent him a concerned look and Cera's heart lurched when she saw there was conflict in his gaze.

"Daddy, no!" Cera said. "Don't even think about it! He's my friend, he…"

She looked to Chomper and trailed off. He looked so scared. The concept of being forced to go with Verter petrified him. But Chomper looked down and his eyes filled with a sad resignation. He had been struck by the comments about the future dangers he presented. Cera chilled. Was some part of him really going to go along with this? Mr. Threehorn sighed.

"You're right," he said. "I was always suspicious of him. And his departure would bring pain."

Chomper looked up, eyes wide. Verter smiled smugly.

"Yes, you finally see-" he said.

"However," Mr. Threehorn interrupted, "he has also helped my daughter and their friends through many dangers. He cares for them so much he volunteered for your training. For someone so young, that is exceptional. He is very kind. He will have to leave one day but at least we want him to leave with that kindness intact. Whatever real concerns I have, I'm not going to allow you to twist him for your schemes. He and Cera are coming home, and if you don't cooperate Verter," he quieted, "you know what we'll have to do."

Mr. Threehorn lowered his horns and stood unwaveringly. Relieved, Tria lowered her head beside him. Chomper stared at him, eyes wet with wonder and appreciation.

"Mr. Threehorn…" he said.

Cera was also relieved. Whatever her father's feelings, he was going to do the right thing. She sent a smile at Chomper but then she turned to Verter. He was stunned. For a moment, something hurt crossed his gaze but then he lowered his head and those blue eyes became cold.

"So be it," he said.

He launched forward. Cera and Chomper screamed as they were thrown off their feet, smacking and staggering into the ground as Verter closed the distance with Mr. Threehorn. Horns clanked as they pushed against each other, Cera and Chomper being tugged back and forth by the strength of the horn ramming. Mr. Threehorn dug his feet into the ground, maintaining position, but Verter pulled his head back and jabbed him with several forceful thrusts.

Mr. Threehorn jabbed back, going for Verter at odd angles. But Verter bent his head in little degrees, meeting them point by point, and he pushed hard at one of those jabs, making Mr. Threehorn stumble. He whipped his vine into Mr. Threehorn's eye and Cera winced as her father cried out. Verter took advantage of this and jabbed harder, harder, eliciting pained growls as he got past the horns and drew blood…

A pink blur came in and Tria pushed past her mate, her horns clanking with his.

Verter snarled. "Stay out of this, female! You don't belong here!"

"You brought Cera and her friend into this." Tria said. "You got me involved."

Snorting, Verter pushed hard. Tria did the same, running grooves into the earth as she tried to move him back. But Verter was the one who pushed her up the path. He pulled back and scratched his left horn into her frill, causing her to yell before he forced her back with a vine whip. Recovered, Mr. Threehorn charged in and resumed the fight, horns clanking as he put all his strength into pushing Verter down the path. Glaring, Verter spat into his eye. Mr. Threehorn yelped and Verter used that moment of weakness to bash his horns into Mr. Threehorn's.

"You – had – so – much – potential!" Verter growled with each crash. "You had to go and squander it!"

"I'm not like you. I would never become you!" Mr. Threehorn said.

Verter snarled, and plowed in harder. The blows they exchanged were powerful, their gazes filled with anger and hatred. Cera staggered along, watching with wide eyes. This was wrong. Her father and Verter had laughed, had got along with such ease. That they were fighting so viciously felt like some sick sleep story. With each violent attack, it was like they were tearing their bond apart.

In the confusion, Cera saw a pink form moving on her side of the fight but Verter thrust from Mr. Threehorn and struck his head to the side. Tria yelled as she was slammed into the rock wall.

"Oh no you don't!" Verter said. "I worked too hard to let go of them!"

Tria staggered back and shook her head, glaring. "They aren't shiny rocks. We'll get them!"

"You think only a few days of training would prepare you for this?" He stepped closer. "You weren't born for this kind of thing and you never will!"

Yelling, Tria charged in. Mr. Threehorn staggered back to recover as she crashed her horns into Verter's and they grappled. Verter pushed back, his mighty muscles allowing him to make her stumble her feet up the path. Cera watched, transfixed. She had never saw her stepmother fight with such passion, even against the first sharptooth. Tria barely avoided having those horns clank into her frill and stepped back. He gave a mocking smirk. Enraged, she stepped back and moved in with all her speed.

Crash! The loudest meeting of horns yet, and Verter stumbled back, dazed. Though tired from being pulled back and forth, Cera smiled proudly.

"Way to go, Tria!" she said. "Get him!"

But Tria hesitated. Something about Verter's unfocused gaze disturbed her. She looked unsure but Verter shook his head and charged, Cera and Chomper stumbling and tripping as their legs barely kept up. Starting, Tria tilted her head at him and her horns crashed into his at an angle.

Verter flinched and pushed forward but couldn't, the odd angle locking them in place. Tria was relieved. But Verter, irritated, wasn't done. Slowly, he bent his head. Tria gasped as her horns creaked and bent. She tried to stay her ground but the creaks became louder and she shouted and had to pull her horns out. Before she could react, Verter went forward, slamming into her side and making her topple to the ground. Verter walked over and whipped her face with the vine, eliciting a cry.

"This is what you get for getting in my way!" he growled. "You were too weak to ever be a threehorn!"

Cera saw Verter's eyes linger on her lower neck before raising his head.

"No!" Cera launched herself at his foot. "Stop hurting my family! Tria! I mean-"

Verter pushed her away, and she tumbled back, dazed by the blow.

"Where was I?" he said. "Oh yeah."

He raised his head and went down to strike a particularly hard blow with his horns.

"Oh no, you don't!"

Mr. Threehorn charged in and slammed Verter away with the side of his head, knocking Verter down. Cera fell on her side and Chomper jumped, almost getting struck by Verter's stumbling foreleg. Stunned, Verter was about to get to his feet when Mr. Threehorn's horns clanked into his. Angered, Verter grabbed the vine with his mouth and whipped Mr. Threehorn's face, eliciting ow's. But Mr. Threehorn caught the vine with his teeth. Wincing from the taste, he ground it down until the long end snapped off.

"Not so strong without that vine to whip about, huh?" Mr. Threehorn taunted. "Now you'll have to fight like a fair threehorn."

"You would have made the same choices in my position." Verter got to his feet and pushed back. "There is a reason we became friends. You agreed with the harsh decisions the herd made and did some brutal things yourself. If you had made a slightly different set of choices, you would be right by my side."

"No! Even at my worst, I never hurt and killed others just to satisfy my ego!"

"But you could have." Verter said.

"But I didn't." Mr. Threehorn said. He faltered a bit. "That – that's what matters."

Verter sighed. "So it is. It's too late to turn you now. But we can't say the same for Cera and Chomper."

"In your sleep stories!" Cera said, glaring. "We won't follow you!"

"Do you really want to try taming a sharptooth?" Chomper growled. "You never know when I might turn around and bite your head off!"

"That's what you say now but I've seen stronger wills broken with the right treatment." Verter said. "Experience can change people. Even if you two somehow escape, you could still become like me."

"No!" Chomper shook his head. "I wouldn't dare!"

"You don't know that." Verter thrust Mr. Threehorn back. "Do you think people like me are born this way? I didn't know this was where I would go but here I am."

"Don't listen to him, kids!" Mr. Threehorn panted, struggling to regain the advantage. "He's trying to mess with you."

"I had an adventurous personality like you, and look where that lead me." Verter continued. "I can see that temper and those moments of selfishness leading you down a grim path, Cera."

"What?" Cera yelped. "How do you know that?"

"I listened to you two while you were climbing. You shouldn't have been so open about your feelings around others. You might have friends you care about now, but who knows, you might grow into someone who would come to abandon them for your pride."

Cera closed her eyes, shaking her head. "No, no! I'd never!"

Mr. Threehorn pushed hard, anger energizing him. "Shut _up_ , Verter!"

Verter ranked his horns in and made his opponent stagger back. "Oh and there's Chomper. Once so friendly, that kindness to his leaf eater friends turns embittered when he has to hunt their kind and he lashes out at leaf eaters and sharpteeth alike. So sad."

"No! I'll…" Chomper gulped. "I'll eat if I have to but I won't be cruel."

"That's just it!" Verter pushed Mr. Threehorn up the path. "You don't know! The future is filled with many unknowns. You can't prepare for everything. Even if you try to resist, you wouldn't be able to deny what draws you. You say you wouldn't commit harm but with what you don't know about the future, can either of you be sure of that?"

Cera and Chomper looked down. Even with fighting pulling her this way and that, she couldn't help the distressing thoughts coming to her mind. Verter was right. She didn't know what the future held. She thought things would be more or less the same as they were now but who said her behavior during her first encounters with her friends wouldn't resurface? They have before. What if the choices presented to her made her abandon them for her own selfish interests? Or she fought with them like her father and Verter were doing now, all those warm feelings turned to hatred? Cera had been avoiding thoughts about the past for the pain they brought but she realized the future was just as treacherous. Suddenly, she didn't want to think about what was to come. She only wanted to get out of here and be back with her friends, playing and enjoying her time with them and hoping things would always be this way.

Chomper was looking worse. He gazed into the middle distance, mouth open. For someone who cared so deeply, the thought his future departure might involve hurting his loved ones tore him up. He was aware he would have to eat leaf eaters again someday, but what if the struggle of the transition made him attack others and cause suffering? He shut his eyes and lowered his head but the images kept coming to him. The pair's turmoil caused Verter to laugh.

"See? You're be better off leaving them to me, I'll take care of their problems," he said.

Mr. Threehorn growled. "Never! I'll never let you influence the- ah!"

Verter's horns slipped through and scratched the top of Mr. Threehorn's frill. Verter pushed hard and Mr. Threehorn was toppled off his feet. He panted, laying on his side. He attempted to get up but struggled, suddenly very exhausted. He looked up at Verter, whose countenance was grim.

"Don't make me do this, Topps," he said quietly. "Even after all this, you're still my old pal. Don't let me down even more."

Mr. Threehorn had enough energy to glare up. "A father never gives up."

Verter sighed. "A disappointing end to a promising friendship." His lips twisted. "I can't promise this won't be quick."

He stepped back, aiming his horns at Mr. Threehorn's neck. Cera and Chomper stirred, gazing up with dread.

"No Cera's dad, don't." Chomper said.

"Daddy, just get out of here!" Cera said.

She and Chomper threw themselves at Verter's forefeet. Cera rammed into the flesh with all the practice Verter had taught her, hearing the sounds of Chomper biting and scratching with equal force. But he only lightly kicked them away. Lying on the ground, she looked up at her father in fear. She saw his eyes stray toward her and Chomper. He couldn't do more than jostle on the spot. Exhausted, with pain thrumming through her, Cera could only watch as Verter pulled his head back and thrust his horns down in a blur of speed…

There was a rush of feet and Mr. Threehorn pulled out of the way. He got no more than a scratch to the nose as Verter's horns jutted past into the dirt. Mr. Threehorn disappeared from view but Verter stopped and cried out in dismay as Mr. Threehorn's horns clanked into his, the pointy ends coming in from the left from Cera's perspective. Verter jostled, pinned in place by the horns.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you!" he snarled. "Don't think I haven't gotten this kind of trick before."

"I know that." Mr. Threehorn said.

"Then what are you trying to-"

Mr. Threehorn roared. Verter stopped, confused, but he almost didn't hear the quiet rumble of feet before a crunching sound filled Cera's ears. Verter's eyes went wide and he struggled harder but there was a snap and a slackness came above Cera's neck.

"Run, Cera!"

Obeying Tria's voice, Cera ran, adrenaline masking the exhaustion as she fled pass Verter's head. Her movements were restricted by the vines on her body but at least she was free. Tria ducked back and made to go around Verter to get Chomper's vine.

"No!"

Verter jostled his horns out and slammed the side of his face into Mr. Threehorn's, raising a rear foot to kick Tria as she passed. She gave a cry, scrambling as the force of the blow made her skid perpendicularly to the edge. Cera's heart stopped but Tria regrouped and ran passed Verter, getting to Mr. Threehorn, who looked a bit dazed but still ready to fight. He stood protectively near Cera, who pressed herself against the rock wall. Verter backed away, forefoot pressing Chomper back.

"I won't give him up." Verter growled. "You may have her but I'm not giving him up."

"Verter, enough!" Mr. Threehorn said. "Release Chomper and come back to speak for your crimes."

"Crimes? Ha!" Verter laughed. "This is the threehorn life. Chomper is only going to make it more entertaining."

Tria ran forward and crackled her horns against Verter's, clinking them in, walking backwards to drag him back. "Oh, you're not getting away."

Verter unhooked himself and clanked back, growling. "Like you can do anything to stop me."

"I just saved Cera, didn't I?"

"Only with your sappy mate's help! Even if he tries the same trick again, you won't have a second victory."

"Are Chomper and Cera really that important to you? Is what why you really did it? Murdered Mr. Clubtail?"

"What?" Verter blinked.

"You plotted that so you can have Cera and Chomper to yourself and influence them how you see fit. Oh, that was so convenient, I should have seen that com-"

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Don't play dumb." Tria said. "I'm talking about how you killed Mr. Clubtail."

"That wasn't me!" Verter said, glaring. "I admit, I was planning on doing something but he was already dead when I found him. I merely took advantage of the situation."

"What?" she blinked. "But – then who killed him?"

"Don't listen, Tria." Mr. Threehorn said. "He's only trying to distract us."

"Y-yeah." Tria glared. "You won't get away."

Verter snarled. "You're delirious – both of you!"

He pushed her away. Tria shook herself and rammed back, jostling her horns into Verter's hard. She tried to get her mind back on task. She really screwed up when she hesitated over dazing Verter. She had been rattled by the damage she could do to another person when she should have found a way to free one of the kids. Now she tried to brace herself and discover how to free Chomper. She saw the poor sharptooth youth pant as he was jerked around, looking ready to collapse. She could bite the connecting vine off Verter's neck vine if she stunned him again but then Chomper would have to drag all that plant weight behind him. Tria could bite it at the nape of Chomper's neck but she would have to be quick before Verter roused himself. Mr. Threehorn could go in to free Chomper to deal with the time issue but that would leave Cera defenseless and Verter would notice this. There must be a way. Tria grappled with Verter, attempting to push her sharp points at the skin around the base of his horns, ignoring the aches and pains wincing through her.

"Avert your eyes, Cera." Mr. Threehorn was saying. "This isn't going to be pretty. We might have to fight extra hard and I don't want you to…Cera?"

Tria's heart fluttered at the confusion and faint panic in her mate's voice. She wanted to look around to check what happened but she couldn't with the fight she was in. A flutter of movement went past her and there was a faint crunch. Verter froze, and both battlers' eyes turned to the side. Cera was grinding her teeth on Chomper's connecting vine, moans muffled as she tried to rip into the nasty plant material. She froze when Verter looked at her, his face contorting with anger.

"Don't you dare!"

He threw a forefoot back but Cera hastily worked on the vine and it broke apart. The forefoot hit the place they stood a second too late as the pair darted under Verter and Tria's heads, going up the steep path, Cera poking at Chomper's tail to urge him on.

"Go, go, g-!" she said.

There was a growl, and Cera screamed as she turned and found Verter in her face. He swiped one forepaw and another at her, Cera barely dodging and ducking as vines constricted her movement. He backed her against the wall and, though a part of her knew she had to run, those furious eyes rooted her to the spot.

"Useless girl," he snarled, his face looming close. "You had to go and ruin everythin-"

There was a snarl and Chomper jumped in front of her.

"Stay away from her!" he said.

Verter drew back, thrown off for a moment, but he swiped a forefoot forward. Tria rushed in and crashed Verter aside with the side of her head.

"Get behind us, kids," she said.

The pair moved. Tria pushed her horns into Verter's, who watched Cera and Chomper rush up the path.

"No!"

He clanked Tria aside and went to follow but yowled when she bit his tail to keep him back. Mr. Threehorn almost reached them as he galloped down but Verter lashed his tail out of Tria's teeth and pursued. Mr. Threehorn met his horns with his, just keeping them back in time for Cera and Chomper to get behind him as they backed up the path. They got to the top, where the ground was level, Verter pulling back and standing near the edge. Mr. Threehorn moved to block the pair from view, Tria catching up to present a united front

"Stop this, Verter." Mr. Threehorn said. "You lost."

Verter's contracted pupils turned on him. "You…this is all because of you…"

He charged forward, ramming his horns into Mr. Threehorn's.

"If only you hadn't changed!" Verter said. "If only you hadn't betrayed your own kind!"

"I haven't betrayed anyone." Mr. Threehorn said. "Verter, stop. Don't make me-"

Verter screamed, and broke through Mr. Threehorn's horns. He charged for Cera and Chomper, who screamed and circled around Tria, Verter following. Tria grabbed the dangling vines on his neck with her teeth when he passed, making him stop and gasp as his throat was constricted. Tria gritted her teeth and attempted to keep him in place but Verter's progressed forward step by step, making Cera and Chomper back to the edge. The vines snapped and he charged, Cera and Chomper jumping and running along the cliff, the vines slowing their legs as the booms of those forefeet came in inches from their tails. Cera cried out when her tail tip felt an agonizing pressure, and fell onto her side as Verter pinned her in place.

"I will have one of you!" Verter said, breathing close. "I will show everyone who's the strongest! Even if I have to-"

"Let her go!"

Verter turned and looked up. Mr. Threehorn ran in, pushing Verter hard, rocks crackling as the latter's hind feet scrambled to stay on the edge. Cera felt the pressure lift up and the pain became that of a bruise exposed to air. She scrambled to run, Chomper doubling back for her and pulling her onward. Verter's rear feet staggered as he pushed back against Mr. Threehorn with equal force, blue eyes boring into the dark with anger.

"You just had to get in my way!" he said. "Traitor! Traitor! Trait-"

There was a crackle and faster than anyone could react, Verter slid over the edge. Mr. Threehorn's jaw dropped and he ran over but Verter was already falling, screaming, legs grabbing at the air as his figure shrank with distance. Cera and Chomper closed their eyes and pressed their faces into each other but they couldn't block out the scream that went on for far too long before there was a thud, and they were left with silence. Shaking, Cera pulled herself away and looked around.

Tria stood a few paces back, mouth agape. Mr. Threehorn was near the edge, looking down, frozen. Cera couldn't tell if he was breathing.

"T-Topsy?" Tria said.

Mr. Threehorn didn't respond. Hesitantly, Tria stepped closer.

"Topsy, are you alright?" she asked.

Still, nothing. A shape seemed to be reflected in his eyes. Looking for anything, Tria glanced at the kids. Chomper's head lay on Cera's cheek, breaths shuddering, occasionally whimpering. Cera kept her gaze from the edge. She didn't want to even glimpse what was left of Verter; she saw enough today.

"Topsy, we should get going." Tria said. "The kids need to be treated, right?"

Mr. Threehorn's lips twitched. "R-right."

It didn't take long to get back into the valley. Cera was barely aware of when their vines were bitten off or their wounds washed. Her feet passed through the tickle of grass. The trees were still, no breeze in the air. Occasionally, they went by a collection of flowers. Everything around her was distant, like on the other side of a canyon. Other dinosaurs passed by, voices indistinct. It was like another day in the Great Valley but it couldn't be. It didn't feel real after what she went through. Cera moved with Chomper and her parents, gaze vacant. Right now, all she wanted to do was retreat to her nest and escape the world in sleep stories…

"There you guys are!"

Littlefoot and the others were running towards them, accompanied by Grandpa and Grandma Longneck. They stopped, gazing at the four's injuries with concern.

"My goodness, what happened?" Grandma Longneck asked.

Tria glanced around. Mr. Threehorn was still staring at the grass blankly and since no one else seemed fit to speak, she took a deep breath.

"We found Verter dragging Cera and Chomper out of the valley," she said. "He wanted to use them for his brutal threehorn ways. When we told him to give them back, he refused and we were forced to…"

There were hitches in breath. Littlefoot and the others looked at Cera and Chomper.

"Is that true?" Littlefoot asked.

Cera nodded distantly. "He – he was taking us away. He wasn't going to let us see our family or friends again."

Littlefoot gave a soft gasp and he and the others came forward and embraced them. Cera didn't protest, leaning into their touch, a part of her hoping they wouldn't let go. She glimpsed Chomper inches to her right, small in Ruby's arms.

"I'm sorry." Grandpa Longneck said. "That must have been horrible for you."

"Was he planning this this whole time?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"He pretty much admitted it." Tria answered. "He used Mr. Clubtail's death to pressure Cera and Chomper to train with him. He worked them so much he hoped to have them depend on him and they could be persuaded to leave. He claimed to still be our friend but he kidnapped Cera and Chomper behind our backs and-"

Crash! Cera and the others broke apart as Mr. Threehorn's left foot buckled. He leaned into the ground, eyes suddenly all too wide.

"Daddy?" Cera said.

"Topsy, what's wrong?" Tria asked.

Mr. Threehorn didn't respond. He panted, breaths climbing in pitch until he screamed, screamed like something had been torn out of him. Cera broke from her friends, running over to press into Mr. Threehorn's forefoot.

"Daddy, what is it?" Cera said. "What's wrong?"

"We're alright, dear." Tria pressed into his side. "We're here."

Mr. Threehorn didn't appear to hear. He continued screaming, breaking off with gasping breaths before he screamed again. Cera hadn't heard anything like this before and that it came from her father was terrifying. Gradually, it subsided and he leaned there, shaking. The gang and the grandparents watched, horrified, sympathetic.

"You two should rest. We'll have those wounds tended to." Grandma Longneck said. "Still I can't believe Verter killed Mr. Clubtail. All for the children…"

"Mr. Clubtail…" Chomper looked up. "Is this our fault? All because we didn't agree to train with him the first time?"

"Don't blame yourselves." Grandpa Longneck said. "Mr. Clubtail's murder is the fault of Verter alone. Even if he did this to get you, you bear no fault in his actions."

"That is if he was the one who did this." Tria said.

Grandma Longneck stirred. "What do you mean?"

"When we were fighting, I accused him of killing Mr. Clubtail. He looked shocked. It was as though he found the idea ridiculous."

"Is that so?" Grandpa Longneck said uncertainly. "Well, he was good at hiding his emotions. Maybe that was just an act-"

"But this was after we confronted him. I was fighting up close with him, it looked too genuine. I don't think we can rest easy." Tria turned, looking around at the valley. "The killer's still out there."

 **Next time…**

 **The Anchors Part 1**

* * *

 **Note:** Hope to have the next set of chapters up by February or March next year.


	17. The Anchors Part 1

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 17: The Anchors Part 1**

"If the killer's still out there, we need to remain on our guard." Grandma Longneck said. "We can't let this tragedy distract us from the threat still among us."

Whispers went around the meeting circle. As evening fell, a meeting had been called. The news of Verter's death had shocked the Great Valley and many came along to sort out what had happened. The gang stood next to Cera and her family, crowding around her and Chomper to protect them from the stares and murmurs sent their way. Mr. Threehorn and Tria stood beside them, Tria believing their presence to be important. Mr. Threehorn's head was lowered, not appearing to be aware of his surroundings, Tricia pressed against his forefoot and babbled up to him occasionally with toddlerish concern. There had been some hope that Verter's death meant the danger was over but that wasn't the case.

"Verter wasn't the killer?" A domehead repeated. "Then who is it?"

"I'm afraid we don't know." Grandpa Longneck said. "Sadly, there appears to be more than one selfish person in the valley."

There was silence as this was taken in. Nervous looks were sent around.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Don said. He perched on the tallest rock spire, frowning. "For Wing Father's sake, he too smoothly took advantage of the Mr. Clubtail death situation. Others saw it too, I heard them talk about it."

"If you have lived in the Great Valley long enough, you should know rumors don't always represent the truth." Grandma Longneck replied. Don huffed and crossed his wings. "Unfortunately, extremism exists in every kind. But Tria and Mr. Threehorn knew him well enough that they could tell he was telling the truth."

"So they say." The spikethumb leader said. She was furious. She hadn't reacted well to finding out one of her own was dead. She glared around, as though trying to suss out the truth by who caught her eye-line wrong. "How do we know this isn't a dispute gone wrong that led to a cover up?"

The meeting turned tense. Patty caught Littlefoot's eye and shook her head in exasperation. The spikethumb leader noticed this and frowned, sending her a look of warning. Several eyes started going for Cera and Chomper among their circle of friends. Tricia became nervous and stepped back to hobble next to her sister. Mr. Threehorn stirred, raising his head to glare

"What are you trying to say?" he demanded.

"Topsy, you don't need to -" Tria began.

"I can fight my own battles." He stepped forward and glared. "Just come out and say it: you think this is a murder."

The spikethumb leader didn't deny it. "I'm merely trying to get to the bottom of what happened to one of my herd members. You have to admit, it is suspicious."

"Hah, a likely story. You want to stir things up, that's what. He was my friend. People don't tend to kill their friends if they get annoyed with each other."

"I have seen others kill for little better. The best friendships have collapsed into the worst grudges in my time. It can turn especially deadly if pride is valued and-"

"You think it was something that petty?" Mr. Threehorn demanded. "We threehorns might fight, but we don't all kill each other based on whims, or we wouldn't survive as a kind. Growing up with someone doesn't make it easy to kill them, you know. He was my friend. Even – even if he wasn't honest about his reputation. Even if he tricked us about training Cera and Chomper." His voice cracked. "Even if he was going to take them away."

"Topsy…" Tria stepped closer.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" he said loudly. "I can handle this. Tomorrow's going to be another day. I'll just move on like I always – stop looking at me like that!"

For everyone were staring at him. Mr. Threehorn staggered, trying to glare but his breaths shuddered. Tria pressed against him. Grandpa Longneck looked at the spikethumb leader.

"Are you convinced now?" he asked. Awkward, the spikethumb leader bowed her head. "Whatever our feelings about the Verter matter, the killer is still around. We must remain on our guard. Grandma and I, along with Mr. Thicknose and his volunteers, will continue our search for clues. If anyone has any suspicions, report them to us. If there's nothing else to say, the meeting is adjourned."

The crowd broke off, some leaving but others standing together in whispering groups. Still pressing against her mate supportively, Tria looked at the gang.

"I'm afraid we have to go, kids," she said. "Topsy…we all need rest."

"That's fine." Littlefoot said. He looked at Cera. "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?"

Cera was looking away but sighed. "Might as well."

She joining her parents in walking into the night, Tricia walking alongside her and cooing worriedly.

"Poor Cera's dad." Ducky said, watching them go. "It must be so hard, having to hurt his best friend."

"I think it's hurting everyone." Littlefoot sighed. "Tria knew him too. Will we see you tomorrow Chomper? You need the company."

"Mmm." Chomper said, looking down.

The others stared at him with concern. Spike gave a coo and nudged Chomper, who didn't appear to notice. Mama Flyer's voice called out.

"Kids, are you ready to go yet?" she said. "You too, Ruby and Chomper. I need to get you to your cave."

"Huh? Oh, yes!" Ruby put a hand around Chomper. "Let's go, Chomper."

Petrie gave a wave before joining them with his mother and siblings. Soon Mama Swimmer came by with her entourage of children, and Ducky and Spike had to go as well. Littlefoot turned to his grandparents, who stood nearby, talking with Mr. Thicknose.

"Not that we have had much luck in finding anything so far." Mr. Thicknose sighed, keeping his voice low. "We have barely scrounged up anything since we started."

"We shouldn't give up." Grandma Longneck said. "These things take time. We can't expect a result right away."

"I'm sure we will find the killer eventually." Grandpa Longneck sighed. "The problem is what he might do before we track him down."

Littlefoot looked at them, crestfallen. His grandparents noticed and sent him apologetic looks. It appeared he would be away from his grandparents for some time yet. He had had some good days with Patty and looked forward to them but he wanted things to be back to the way they were. His heart became heavy. How long was this crises going to last?

* * *

Ruby sat outside of the Secret Cavern. She slid a rock under her hand and her right foot kicked the dirt. In the rising bright circle, she glimpsed the shapes of other valley residents move between the trees, the rumbles of feet and mutters of conversation somewhat subdued. Verter's actions and his death had rattled everyone. It was another shocking thing to happen to the Great Valley. At the pace of things, no one knew when they woke up today if all the valley residents might still be alive tomorrow. All this only added to the unease that settled in her stomach.

"Ruby!"

She looked up as Petrie flew in, managing a smile as he landed beside her.

"Morning, Petrie," she said. "How is the morning going?"

"Um, okay." Petrie settled down beside her. "Rest of family on way again."

She nodded, staring ahead. He fidgeted in his lap, stealing looks of her expression.

"Erm…are you okay?" he asked. "You seem bothered."

She traced a line in the rock. "Maybe. Just -" she sighed. "I was wrong. I didn't realize Verter was a threat. There were all those hints he wasn't nonthreatening but I didn't put them together. I just wanted to trust Cera and Chomper, but that trust got them hurt and…"

"Hey, it okay." Petrie said, going over and patted Ruby's hand. "None of us thought a friend of Cera's parents would be bad. It normal not to notice."

"You noticed." Ruby's down gaze slide to him. "I didn't believe until the crises forced me to believe."

"Well…" he squirmed. A pleased smile came across his beak. "Me am happy me get something right. Did you see me put clues together? Me never do something so fast. You will be able to do that again."

"But I'm supposed to be the smart one," she said. She closed her eyes. "I'm here to help learn how to stop Red Claw. I went with Don to help make my thinking better. I could have figured it out earlier and got Cera and Chomper away from Verter. That I didn't notice or believe meant that Chomper and Cera nearly-"

Ruby became quiet. The thought of failing Chomper, nearly losing her best friend and the one she swore to protect, was more than she could take. She felt Petrie touch her hand.

"Cera and Chomper still here," he said quietly. "Bad things happen but they got away. If me know anything from not being very good at thinking is that friends help each other. If one can't think of anything, someone else does. Besides, we try better next time. We can always do more lessons when Don come back again."

She turned to him, staring, as though not knowing how to take his words. Then she smiled.

"Thanks, Petrie. You must be smart, if you can make me feel better."

"Uh, no problem." Petrie laughed. His expression was proud. He took in the moment before hesitating. "Um, me scared to know, but how Chomper doing?"

Sighing, Ruby got up and waved for him to follow. They entered the Secret Caverns, Petrie flapping after her through the few twist and turns until they came upon Chomper, back curled to them.

"He has been like this since we went asleep," she whispered to Petrie. "I don't know if he has done any sleeping."

He winced. "Oh. But he better be up soon. Mama and brothers and sisters are coming."

She nodded. Ruby patted forward, trying to keep footsteps delicate.

"Chomper?"

The young sharptooth didn't move.

"Are you up? It's morning. I don't mean to bother you but it's time to get up."

There was some silence. Chomper twitched and curled inward.

"I don't want to get up," he mumbled. "I'm tired."

"But getting up at the proper time is important." Ruby protested. "Besides, we can't stay here."

"My family nearly here." Petrie said. "They escort us to friends. You want to be with friends, right?"

"Petrie?" Chomper looked up briefly, He placed his head down. "Just leave me here. I'm not worth it."

"Of course you're worth it. You're our friend." Ruby said.

"Is – is this about you biting Verter to help Cera?" Petrie said tentatively. "That not make you want to eat dinosaurs, right?"

"No. I barely noticed. I've been too sad to feel anything about it." Chomper stirred. "Heh, that just fits. I can't even become a threat."

"Don't talk about yourself like that." Ruby said. "It's not safe to be alone. Can't we at least be sad around other people?"

"Just so I can be protected?" he sighed. "Like always."

"We kids. We need protecting." Petrie said. "It not fun but there no help in that."

"But I'm supposed to be better than that!"

Ruby and Petrie jumped. Chomper turned around, eyes morose.

"I should be able to protect you guys," he continued. "I thought this training could let me help you the next time dangers come around. But it was for nothing. It was just so Verter could use me."

"That's Verter's fault, not your fault." Ruby said. "Come on Chomper, let's go see our friends. They miss us. They want us to be together again."

"What would be the point?" Chomper rolled back to show his back again. "I'll just bother everyone because I can't take care of myself. When danger comes, I'll just get rescued again. I'm useless. I can't do anything!"

Ruby and Petrie watched, at a loss. Neither of them had seen Chomper this despondent. Sure, he could get down when he felt he didn't fit in but he always bounced back. Ruby clenched her fist. For a moment, she wanted to attack Verter, to make him suffer for what he did to her wonderful friend.

"You're wrong Chomper," she said. "You have helped us out so many times. You're understanding of the sharptooth language has got out of many scrapes and your understanding of how sharpteeth think made sure we got out of even more scrapes. And I haven't got to your sniffer yet, how it helps find enemies and friends and …"

She fell silent. Petrie glance at her in confusion, but Ruby was staring into the middle distance, eyes wide.

"Of course. Sniffer…sniffing…why didn't I think of this before?" she murmured.

"You think what before?" Petrie asked.

"Chomper's sniffer!" she exclaimed. "He have been able track down so many people and locations. Maybe he can track down the killer."

"What?" Chomper looked up, confused.

"No, just think! The grownups are having a hard time finding the killer. Maybe we can use Chomper's nose to find a trail to where Mr. Clubtail fell."

"R-really?" Petrie struggled a bit to keep up, a sliver of anxiety showing through. "Oh, now me think, it sound like good idea."

"It's an important idea. If we can sniff down what happened to Mr. Clubtail, we can stop the killer. And the valley can be at peace again. Everyone can finally relax." Ruby stood taller, putting her hands on her hips. "You're not useless Chomper. And I'm going to prove it."

Before anyone could reply, Ruby snatched Chomper's hand and he yelped as she pulled him to his feet, pulling him out of the cave as a confused Petrie followed.

"There you three are!" Mama Flyer said, flapping with her other children as she descended toward them. "Why are you walking so fast? I know we must be cautious but there's no need to rush-"

"Now's the time for rushing." Ruby panted. "We need to find Grandpa and Grandma Longneck now."

They rushed past as they entered the forest, Chomper staggering and eyes wide as he struggled to keep up. Petrie's wings were flapping in a blur, trying not to be left behind. Mama Flyer and her other children stared before they hastily flapped to catch up.

"Wait, slow down Ruby," she said. "Why do you need to talk with Grandpa and Grandma Longneck? Is it important?"

"Very important." Ruby said. "I have an important idea and I need to tell them before-"

"Before what, Ruby?"

Ruby and Chomper tripped and nearly fell over each other. Petrie yelped and had to flap his wings forward to stop himself from smacking into Ruby's neck. They all looked around before raising their heads, finding an elderly flyer standing on a branch not far up, leaning against the tree and watching them.

"Don, there you are!" Petrie said.

"Sorry we didn't talk to you much after Verter yesterday." Ruby said. "After Cera and Chomper got rescued, we wanted to be with them."

"It's fine, it's fine." Don said. "Perfectly understandable." He jumped, flapping to slow his descent and land on the ground. "Is Chomper well?"

"I'm – I'm fine, sir." Chomper mumbled, looking down.

"Good. Good." Don said. He looked…thoughtful, as though he didn't know what to make of a recent event and wasn't sure he liked it. Still, this was the least severe any of them had ever seen him. "I'm quite proud of what you two accomplished. It is because of your ingenuity that you saved your friends."

"Really?" Petrie perked up. He smiled proudly. "We did do good, didn't we?"

Ruby looked down. "But I didn't think it was possible that Verter would be the killer."

"No big deal. You at least had the intelligence to be persuaded and help make sure that threehorn wouldn't be a further threat." Don said. "Any further issues can be worked over in our future talks." He looked around. "Where are you off to anyway?"

"We off to Littlefoot's grandparents because Ruby have idea on how to find killer." Petrie said.

Don paused. "She has?"

Ruby nodded. "I just remembered Chomper has a good sense of smell. If he could smell where Mr. Clubtail was before he fell, then we can find the killer's smell."

"What?" Mama Flyer said. "Oh, so that's why you were in such a rush."

"That does sound like a good idea." One of Petrie's sisters said.

"Chomper is a sharptooth." One of Petrie's brothers added. "They're very good at smelling things."

The other siblings chimed in their agreement, bursting with energy at the idea. Don pressed his beak together.

"Yes, yes," he said. "With that logic, it's…natural why you see it has value."

Ruby smiled, nodding. "With Chomper's nose, we will be able to find out what happened. Then we can take care of the killer. All our worries will soon be gone."

"You shouldn't do it."

Ruby and the others glanced up in shock. Don stood there, fists on hips, gazing sternly.

"What?" Ruby said. "But Chomper's sniffer is very good. He finds Mr. Clubtail's scent, and we find the killer. It is a good idea."

"Really?" Don asked "This is too obvious to be effective." He leaned closer. "For Wing Father's sake, this idea hasn't been thoroughly thought over."

"We rushed to the conclusion Verter was the killer and you supported it," she replied. "I'm just applying what I already know, since I know his nose for as long as I've known Chomper."

"What you already know can have holes. Firsthand knowledge can't always be trusted. I'm the elder here, I know what I'm talking about."

There was silence as they glared at each other. Chomper and the flyer family watched them, not sure what to say.

"Wow, this sure got tense." One of Petrie's brother murmured.

"L-look," Mama Flyer said, flying closer "why not have Ruby talk to Grandpa and Grandma Longneck about it. They're wise. If there is problem with the idea, they'll bring it up."

"Good idea, Mama." Petrie brightened. "They very smart. They know what to do."

"Not all elders are wise." Don said, not looking at him. "Those longnecks have been fooled before. They cannot be trusted to take the proper action."

"You say elders should be respected, yet when we bring up elders we can to talk to, you dismiss them." Ruby's eyes narrowed. "You just want to be the only one listened to. You don't like us listening to someone who's not you."

Don's eyes flashed. "Don't talk to me like that."

"You need to hear it. I admit, I'm disappointed. I thought you were more willing to listen to others' opinions but you still have a ways to go." She turned away. "Talking can be useful but we can't talk forever. I need to do something to help the valley now."

Don grabbed Ruby's arm. There were gasps and Ruby stepped back in shock.

"Don." Mama Flyer said. "Let her go."

He ignored her, staring into Ruby's eyes. "Do not do this," he said lowly. "For Wing Father's sake. You won't like what might happen."

Ruby stared, flinching as a stinging cool came to her chest. But her mouth became grim and she wrenched his hand off. "Whatever happens, the consequences of this killer's actions have already happened. They need to be taken care of."

She turned and stalked off, dragging a confused Chomper with her. Mama Flyer and her children followed, glaring at Don as they passed. Only Petrie remained, hesitating, before facing him.

"Sorry," he said. "Me sure she not hate you. Maybe we can talk about it at a meeting later."

"Yes." Don intoned. "Yes, of course."

Turning, Petrie flew off, though he strangely winced a bit. For a while, Don stood there, staring at where Petrie's figure disappeared with the others. The buzz of insects was in the air. Closing his eyes, he sighed.

"I'm sorry, children," he said.

* * *

Tria lay with Mr. Threehorn near their nest. The laughter of children and the crackle of a moving rock echoed not far off. Cera sat with Littlefoot, Ducky, and Spike in a circle, rolling a rock between them. Tricia ran after the rock, giggling as she tried to catch it and nearly turning herself dizzy as the others each pushed it in a different direction. The others occasionally smiled and laughed at Tricia's antics. Tria smiled. After Cera's whole ordeal, she deserved to have her friends with her. It heartened Tria to hear their enjoyment.

"They are really going at it," she said.

"Mmm." Mr. Threehorn said.

"It's nice to have a break from all the training. We needed this."

"Yeah."

Glancing at him, Tria tried to keep her smile. "And look at Tricia playing with them. It's nice to see her engaging with other children. I hope she can manage to make friends of her own soon."

Mr. Threehorn gazed focused. After a few seconds watching the kids, lips twitching. "I hope she doesn't get friends like Littlefoot and the others."

"Oh, come on." Tria laughed.

"I mean it, that would be trouble. Do we want two daughters who get themselves in dangerous adventures every other cold time?"

"You just want her to goo-goo, gaa-gaa with you all the time," she teased.

"Well," he averted his gaze, "you got me there."

They laughed. Tria looked to him and smiled, affection clear.

"I'm happy you could still laugh, Topsy," she said.

"Of course I can laugh. I do have a sense of humor." Mr. Threehorn said. "Do you think I would have got through the struggles I did if I didn't find some things funny?"

"I'm glad. We need to find the small joys in life. It what makes living worth it." Tria paused. "In light of that, I'm wondering if we can talk."

"Oh?"

"About…what happened yesterday."

His smile dropped. "Right."

She waited for him to speak but his lips remained pressed together.

"That was really traumatic," Tria said at length. "I was wondering how…you were doing."

"Fine," he said. He looked away. "It's not the first loss I've had to deal with."

"Are you sure? He was…you know. That must really hurt."

"Verter…" his voice caught and he shook his head. "He made the nest he laid in."

"That doesn't stop someone from feeling bad." Tria said.

"Don't worry. It'll go away. It all-" His voice became harsh. "Why are we talking about this now?"

"I'm worried about you." Tria said. "I'm not unaffected by what happened either. I was thinking we can help each other."

"Our focus should be having a family time with our daughters." Mr. Threehorn turned his head away. "It is what they need."

"I know but we should take care of ourselves too. We can't take care of them if we're bothered by tragedies in the past."

"I'm not bothered by it." Mr. Threehorn said. "There are other ways to take care of ourselves. Lingering over the past won't help that."

"Topsy, please-"

"I said I'm not-!" he said loudly. He closed his eyes, inhaling. "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. What matters is making our daughters happy. This is not the time for it."

"R-right." Tria said. "It has been only a day. Sorry. But maybe when things to settle down, we can discuss it then."

"I appreciate your concern," Mr. Threehorn said, "but that's never going to be needed. I'm fine. I just need to keep going. You shouldn't worry about me."

She wanted to say more but she found herself settling down. "Y-yes. If you say so."

Tria fell silent. They lay together, bodies still close, but she felt further away from him than ever.

*Why?* she thought. *Why won't you let me help you, Topsy? Why can't I do anything to reach you?*

Meanwhile, Cera and the others continued to roll the rock between them, ignorant of the tension that flared some distance behind them. Tricia was breathless as she ran after the rock, nearing Littlefoot when he caught it and redirecting when he pushed it to Ducky, their spirits rising as they watched her go.

"It's great to be together again." Littlefoot said.

"You could say that again." Cera said. "It's a relief not to be moving around so much for once. I don't think that'll change for me anytime soon."

"Oh, that is okay." Ducky said. "After being apart for so long, playing like this is fine, it is, it is."

Spike grunted with agreement, catching the rock and punting it to Tricia, who squealed with delight.

"It's only been three days." Cera said. "It's not like we haven't done our own thing before."

"But those three days felt like forever." Ducky said.

"With this ghost stuff, these days have felt really long." Cera admitted. "Though really, we've been together more times than we've been not."

Littlefoot nodded. "I can't believe we've been together longer than it took for us to go to the valley. That feels so far away now."

"Time sure goes slow when you're not having fun," she said. The others laughed. "I don't want to grow up yet. I still want to have time to play. I think Tria said that when you're a kid, it feels like forever but when it feels done, it's like no time at all."

There were nods, some of them gazing up as they remembered their many adventures as friends. It was amazing what could be packed within the short span of childhood. With this, they forgot the rock, which was being tugged back and forth by Spike and Tricia as the two giggled along. Glancing around, Littlefoot hesitated but decided to speak.

"Speaking of time, um…how are you been doing?"

"Fine." Cera frowned. "After so much time moving, I got to sleep in for once. It's been good."

"I mean…is there anything bothering you?" he said.

"I don't know." She glared at them. "Why aren't you bothered about not being with Patty and Tega? Where are they anyway?"

"Patty came around but said she couldn't look after me because she was busy." Littlefoot explained. "She didn't say with what but maybe that grouchy spikethumb leader has the herd in a meeting."

"We barely saw Tega." Ducky said. "She did not show up this morning." Spike made a thoughtful sound as she continued. "Me and Spike are worried but maybe she wants to give us space."

"Weird for her to leave someone in the lurch." Cera said wryly. "Then again, it's very bright today. Maybe she wants to keep to the shade so she won't get hot. Petrie, Ruby, and Chomper aren't here either."

"Petrie's mother is going over to escort them to us." Littlefoot said. "Things are still dangerous. Chomper might also need some rest."

"Yeah." Cera softened a bit. "Hope that little guy can enjoy himself."

"Mmm." Littlefoot nodded, a smile flitting in. He looked at her again, hesitating, but his concern made him press on. "I don't mean to keep pressing but are you okay? You went through a lot."

"I'm fine." Cera crossed her forelegs, looking away. "Mr. Thicknose and a few others helped treat me and Chomper's injuries. We'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" Ducky asked. "Yesterday sounded really scary. If you want to talk about it, we will listen."

"No thanks. I have been through it and it's done." Cera said. "I just want to move on."

"But is that good?" Littlefoot asked. "Just ignoring something doesn't always make it go away. Sometimes talking it out helps. When I talk with my grandparents about things, it can make me feel better."

"Do you talk with your grandparents about everything?" she retorted. "You aren't scarred for life if you just keep some things to yourself. You are still happy."

"But I think that is for small things." Ducky said. "This is a scary thing. When me and Spike talk about a problem scary or small, it helps us better understand it." Spike nodded, and she smiled. "See? You do not have to do it right now but if we can talk about it, you will feel better even more."

Littlefoot nodded. "It is a bit soon, so you're probably not in the mood, but we're always willing to listen."

"You will be waiting for a long time, then, because that is never going to happen." Cera flopped her head onto her forelegs. "I understand what happened. I got tricked into doing a load of hard work and then someone up and died. I don't want a talk to tell me something that obvious."

"But this Verter situation sounded bigger than that." Ducky protested. "It would be good to-"

"Stop bothering me about it!" Cera snapped. The others jumped, Tricia yelping and staring at her in surprise. "You always try to butt in whenever I look the least a bit sad. You and Ducky are particularly bad about this, Littlefoot. What, am I bothering the feel-good mood of our get togethers by not being happy all the time?"

"Hey, don't be like that!" Littlefoot said. "We're just worried about you. We want to make sure you're okay."

"Well, you're not doing a good job at it. Leave me alone. Some people just want to deal with things on their own. Can't you think about that instead of how you would do it for once? That especially goes for you, Ducky. You always try to fix things how you would fix things, trying to make everyone smiley and perky, and I'm getting sick of it. Can't you stop babying everyone for once, it's annoying, you're annoying, sometimes you should just-"

"Cera, Cera!" Ducky said, waving her arms. "Stop!"

Cera stopped. Ducky had stepped back in shock. Spike and Littlefoot glared at her, a little hurt in Littlefoot's eyes. Tricia started crying, head raised as tears streamed down her cheeks. Spike tried to nuzzle her but it was no use. Cera stared, a sinking in her stomach. Verter had said something about her turning against her friends in the future because of her selfishness. Was this a hint of things to come?

In the silence that followed, there was a rumble of feet. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck approached, expressions troubled.

"We didn't expect to see you again so soon." Tria said.

"After your experience yesterday, we thought we should check on you." Grandpa Longneck answered. He turned to survey Littlefoot and the others. "Petrie, Ruby, and Chomper aren't here yet."

"Don't worry." Mr. Threehorn said. "I'm – I'm sure Petrie's mother is bringing them here now." He tried to focus on the grandparents. "Have you found anything?"

Grandma Longneck sighed. "No. It's like we're going in circles. It's really starting to feel like something killed Mr. Clubtail and disappeared off the land."

"So the killer might be a ghost." Mr. Threehorn muttered. "Great."

"Unless this ghost is like the sharptooth, I don't think it's that situation." Grandpa Longneck frowned. "Though…it is strange. Grandma and I have been keeping an ear out for any sign people might be dealing with ghosts and nothing. No one has been behaving odd at all."

"Do you think it's over?" Tria asked hopefully.

"I don't think so," he replied. "It doesn't seem like it would end that easily. It's likely happening more elsewhere. We must be on our guard. It could surge back any time."

She shuddered. "That would be the last thing we need, for… _him_ to come back as a ghost." Mr. Threehorn looked away.

"We should be cautious but not get too ahead of ourselves." Grandma Longneck said. "We still need to protect ourselves from this killer. We need to find a way to track him down." She sighed. "I only hope we can find a lead that can actually do that…"

"Grandpa and Grandma Longneck! Mr. Threehorn! Tria!"

The grownups started. Littlefoot and the others raised their heads. Ruby and Chomper approached at top speed, Chomper stumbling and huffing as Ruby pulled him along. Petrie and his mother and siblings trailed after in the air, only slightly less breathless. She stopped in front of the grownups and panted, eyes urgent and alive.

"What's the matter, Ruby?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

"You aren't going to claim another friend is a bad person, are you?" Tria said warily.

"No." Ruby said, righting herself. "At least, I hope this idea won't lead to that. But I have an idea on how to track down the killer."

This got Littlefoot and the others' attention. They got up, going over to stand next to them. Even Tricia, walking over to sniffle next to her mother's foreleg, looked up to see what all the excitement was.

"Really?" Littlefoot asked. "You have an idea?"

"The definite one." Ruby said. "It was so important when I thought about it, I had to find you guys."

"We appreciate your duty. But did you have to drag Chomper halfway across the valley to tell us?" Grandma Longneck asked. Chomper stood bowed, looking about ready to fall over. "He has went through a lot. He needs rest."

"But Chomper is part of the idea! I was thinking of using his sniffer to track down what happened to Mr. Clubtail."

Many eyes widened. Mr. Threehorn, who looked tired, stirred with surprise.

"What?" he said.

"Chomper has the best nose of anyone I know." Ruby said. "And I don't know of anyone with a nose like his. It has helped us so much in knowing where good people and bad people are. I'm sure he could sniff us to whoever hurt Mr. Clubtail."

"Oh yes." Ducky said. "Chomper's nose would help very much, it would, it would."

Spike bayed with a smile at the idea. Tria turned to the sharptooth youth.

"So you are suggesting…Chomper should be part of this investigation?" she said.

"Yes." Ruby said. "He can help us find the spot where what happened to Mr. Clubtail happened. He can sniff the spot and find the killer's scent. It was so obvious. I'm almost mad I didn't think about it in the first place."

"Good job, Ruby!" Littlefoot said.

"We always knew you could think of a solution!" Cera said, smile a bit forced. "No wonder you rushed over here to tell us."

"I'm not sure." Mr. Threehorn turned to Chomper, eyes narrowed. "How can we trust he won't lead us into a trap for his sharptooth friends?"

Chomper flinched. Everyone turned and stared at him.

"What are you talking about, Topsy?" Tria asked. "Just yesterday, you said you supported Chomper. You worked hard to save him. What have you changed your mind all of a sudden?"

"Huh?" Mr. Threehorn flinched. He stared, blank-eyed for a moment, then shook his head. "Oh. You – you're right. I remember. I just – I don't know what came over me."

The others stared at him. Cera stepped toward him, eyes shining with great worry.

"Uh, anyway, this sounds like a good idea." Littlefoot said.

"We can always count on Ruby to come up with a plan, yep, yep, yep." Ducky said.

"She always come up with good ideas." Petrie managed a smile. "Now all we need to do is put it into action. Then valley can be safe."

"Hang on." Grandpa Longneck interrupted. He shifted. "We don't feel very comfortable about this."

"You and Chomper went through a lot yesterday, Ruby." Grandma Longneck said. "As your parents aren't here, we are obligated to watch over you. We don't feel right pushing you into adult responsibilities."

"But this might be the only way to find out what happened to Mr. Clubtail!" Ruby protested. "From what I have been hearing, you haven't found any clues. This can find clues faster. With the killer about, shouldn't we find him as soon as possible?"

"Well…" Mama Flyer hesitated. "I don't mean to intrude but there is merit to that idea."

"You can trust Ruby and Chomper." Petrie said. "Me see her think a lot with Don's lessons. She very grownup. They can do this."

"You can also trust Chomper's sniffer." Littlefoot said. "Are there any other good sniffers around? If you give them a chance, I'm sure they'll help you here too. Come on. What have you got to lose?"

Spike nodded, thrusting his head to Chomper and giving a "eh" filled with passion. Petrie's brothers and sisters also nodded, having become fond of Ruby and Chomper in their few escorts. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck glanced at each other. They appeared uncomfortable as they had a mental debate in their mind. Grandpa Longneck looked to the sharptooth youth.

"What do you think, Chomper?" he asked. "What is your position on this?"

Chomper appeared caught off guard. Glancing around, he sighed. "I guess it can't hurt."

That wasn't the vote of confidence Ruby and the gang were searching for. But it seemed to do the trick. The grandparents hesitated. Reluctantly, they looked at Mama Flyer, Tria, and Mr. Threehorn. Mama Flyer was concerned but looked thoughtful. Tria only looked worried. Mr. Threehorn was mostly distracted, too disturbed by his sudden regression in attitude to think one way or the other. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck sent concerned glances at Ruby and Chomper, weighing the benefits of resolving the killer issue quickly versus the ethics of employing children. The gang waited with baited breath.

Grandpa Longneck sighed. "Very well. Since you volunteered."

The gang brightened and there were happy cries. Ruby pumped a fist up.

"Yes!" she said. "You'll be a big help Chomper, you'll see."

"But it will only be the two of you." Grandpa Longneck continued. "The rest of you are staying behind."

"What?" Littlefoot said. Everyone else's cheers died down

"You heard us." Grandma Longneck said. "We won't be endangering any more children than we have to. This is already a hard decision."

"But Ruby and Chomper friends!" Petrie protested. "We can't leave them behind."

"That is sweet Petrie, but think." Mama Flyer said. "As hard as it is to hear, what can you contribute? Chomper will be offering his nose and Ruby her support. The rest of you aren't needed."

"We can also support them." Ducky said, Spike nodding. "It will help them to have their friends with them."

"They will have Grandpa and Grandma Longneck with them." Tria said. "They are very kind. They can offer all the support Ruby and Chomper need. I'm not happy about this but I trust they will be safely looked after. We don't want any of you kids hurt."

"You're underestimating us." Cera growled. "You really think we don't have much to offer?"

"This is not negotiable." Grandpa Longneck said. "Our decision is final. You all are children. You have been through more than enough. Enjoy the day, and you will hear back from us later."

"This is so unfair." Cera muttered. "We did all the hard work to get them listened to and we're getting left behind."

The grandparents ignored her. They turned to Ruby and Chomper.

"We are taking your request but reluctantly." Grandpa Longneck said. "Ordinarily, we wouldn't do this but with the lack of progress, we have little choice. Stay close to us and obey our instructions. If there is danger and we tell you to run, run and don't look back. If we find the killer's scent and where he is, please listen to our request and leave with a trusted grownup."

"I'm coming too." Mr. Threehorn said, stepping forward.

"Topsy, are you sure?" Tria asked.

"I'm tired of just sitting around doing nothing," he said. "If there's a chance you'll find this killer, you'll need protection. I can offer that."

Grandpa Longneck hesitated. "Are you sure? After what just happened, maybe you should rest."

"I'm fine!" Mr. Threehorn said, a bit forcefully. "That was – nothing. Just let me help here."

Grandpa Longneck still looked reluctant but at Mr. Threehorn's level gaze, he sighed. "Then your help will be welcome." He turned to his mate. "What should we do with Mr. Thicknose and his volunteers?"

"I think we could at least notify them." Grandma Longneck said. "How should we begin the search? I was thinking we-"

The pair continued talking, Mr. Threehorn occasionally chipping in, impatient to get going. Chomper didn't show much excitement, resigned he was going to play this role. Ruby was relieved as she listened, but she was almost guilty as she glanced at Littlefoot and the others, who stood there with a mix of worry and resentment. As the grandparents and Mr. Threehorn continued to talk, Patty walked in on the scene.

"Patty, perfect timing." Grandpa Longneck said, noticing her. "We have hit upon a potentially good idea to find the killer. Can you watch over Littlefoot for us?"

"Really?" Patty raised her head with slight surprise at the news. At length, she nodded. "Of course. You need space to do this important work. Littlefoot, come on."

"Huh?" Littlefoot said. "But-" He glanced at his friends. He sighed. "Sorry guys."

He departed from his friends, joining Patty. His head was lowered as they walked off.

"It looks like they are quite busy." Patty said.

"Yeah." Littlefoot sighed. "Ruby and Chomper are going to help. But I'm worried. I wish there was something I can do."

"Hmm," she said, thoughtful. "Well, I think there's one way we can help."

"Really?" he asked.

"Follow me. I'll show you where we need to go."

Patty hurried her pace. In spite of himself, Littlefoot became curious, and moved after her.

Back with Cera and the others, they watched the grandparents and Mr. Threehorn wrap up their discussion. They stepped apart, nodding.

"So that's the plan." Grandpa Longneck said. "Ruby? Chomper? Time to go."

"Okay." Ruby put an arm on Chomper's shoulder. "Don't worry, Chomper. This will work out."

With that, they turned and walked away with their backs to the kids.

"Come on Cera, kids, it's time to go." Tria said.

"We have to go too, Petrie." Mama Flyer said.

"Yeah, come on." One of Petrie's brothers said. "We're going to meet Dad today."

"Um, okay." Petrie said. He traded uncertain looks with the others and followed his family into the sky.

The flyers ascended, the land below dropping down a bit as they flew above the trees, making a beeline for their nest. They flew in a reverse-V formation with their mother in the lead, Petrie flying at the back left end.

"You know Petrie, your father and I are proud of you," Mama Flyer said, eyes ahead. "Even if your killer prediction wasn't accurate, it still saved your friends and…"

Petrie spotted a particularly high tree coming up. He hesitated. Glancing around to note his siblings were all staring ahead, he circled and ducked behind the tree as his family passed, laying low among the leaves as his mother spoke.

"…what we expected, we are happy for you and want you to know…Petrie? Petrie!"

Petrie sighed. "Sorry Mama. Me have to do this."

Meanwhile, Tria led Cera, Ducky and Spike through a forested path. Tricia hopped along near her mother's forefoot, cheering herself up by dancing between the shadows of the trees. Cera, Ducky, and Spike kept up near Tria's rear left foot, Cera glaring at the grass.

"If you want to, Ducky and Spike, you can stay with us." Tria said. "I always enjoy the company of Cera's friends. After these horrible few days, I think what we all need is a relaxing dip in the mud pool."

Cera caught Ducky and Spike's eye and flicked her gaze to the right. The siblings looked blank but at her glare, they caught on and nodded, starting to edge to the left line of bushes.

"I know you aren't a fan of the mud Ducky but it's really good." Tria was saying. "You didn't mind when we all tried it the first time. You just need to sink in and…" She paused and looked around. "Cera? Ducky, Spike? Oh, come on. Are we really going to do this?"

Cera, Ducky, and Spike galloped and hid behind a tree, Cera's eyes lowered in determination.

"No, I'm not going to be sent off while the grownups do the important work," she muttered. "We're going to find out what's happening."

Ducky nodded. "Though are you okay? Don't you feel bad about Tria and Tricia?"

Cera cringed and looked around as Tria continued to call for them.

"I'll make it up to them." Cera said. "Besides, I'm worried about Daddy. Come on. Let's not hang around."

Ducky and Spike nodded. With one last backward glance, they started running in the opposite direction. The three dodged around tree trunks and bushes, careful not to trip over or hit anything.

"How do we make sure they do not catch us?" Ducky asked.

"By moving fast." Cera said. "Let's not be seen. The important thing is to catch up with Chomper and Ruby and-"

She yelped when what she presumed was an odd green branch up ahead abruptly turned out of view and was replaced by a face. Cera skidded to a halt, finding herself inches from the baleful eyes of a spiketail.

"And just where do you think you're going?" The spiketail asked.

"I-" Cera stammered. "That is, I-"

"Relax Cera, it is only Tega." Ducky said.

Cera turned, and looked at the spiketail. "Wait, you're Tega?"

Tega stepped forward, out from the obscuring foliage as she chewed a piece of grass. Cera stepped out of the way as Ducky and Spike approached, smiling at the spiketail.

"We haven't seen you in a while Tega." Ducky said. "Where have you been?"

"I just wanted to give you space." Tega said. "Your friends were through a lot."

"Oh, I knew it." Ducky clicked her fingers, chuckling. "That is very nice of you. We have been very worried about our friends. We wanted to spend time with them. In fact, we are so worried, we are following Ruby and Chomper right now as they help find a way to find the killer."

"Ducky." Cera hissed.

"What?" Ducky said innocently. "She is our friend. She will not tell on us."

Tega's lips twitched into a smile. "You're stalking your friends, huh? I'm amazed you would go that far."

"They are doing scary work." Ducky said. "We are happy they are brave, but we want to make sure they are okay."

"Is that really necessary?" Tega said. "I have seen them go by. With two elder longnecks and a threehorn with them, they have all the help and protection their self-interest could ask for. Not that anyone would hurt them. With their connections to the Mysterious Beyond, who would dare do in such _important_ children?"

Cera frowned, glancing suspiciously at Tega. Spike made a questioning face and exchanged looks with his sister, whose cheer drained slightly as she considered Tega.

"Um, what are you trying to say?" Ducky asked.

"How will Ruby and Chomper benefit?" Tega asked. "It will only lead to embarrassment when what you did is revealed. Did Ruby and Chomper protest much when you weren't allowed to go?"

"No. I – I do not remember them saying anything about it."

"That indicates how much benefit they see in you coming along. It will be very inconvenient and-"

"Hey, guys." Petrie's voice said. His small flapping figure came up from the trees and descended down. "Sorry to be late. Me was trying to-" He stopped when he spotted Tega. "Oh hey, Tega. Uh, what happening?"

"I think Tega is saying we should not follow Ruby and Chomper." Ducky said.

Petrie's head darted between them. "Wait, what?"

"I'm happy you actually put the clues together." Tega said.

"But why?" Ducky asked. "Why do you not want us to go?"

"Think about it. Is this something that is really in your interest? Not only might you be going into potential danger but you will get in trouble when you return to your parents. You kids get in enough trouble. Is this worth the risk?"

"It is. We will be following Ruby and Chomper and-" Petrie paused and looked to the others. "Um, what will we be doing?"

"We will be supporting them from a distance." Ducky said defensively. "We will help them if they need it, with whatever might hurt them and whatever they find."

"Right." Petrie nodded. "That!"

"Hmm, funny." Tega said. "From that last part, it sounds like you're more interested in fulfilling you're self-interested curiosity."

"Hey!" Cera said indignantly.

"It not like that!" Petrie protested.

"That seems to be your primary interest." Tega said. "You were spurned by your parents not allowing you first dibs on the killer news and so you left your families at the first opportunity to get that. Pretty natural for children your age, thinking about your immediate interests while not considering your longer term ones."

"Please Tega, can we not have this talk now?" Ducky pleaded. "We might be a bit curious but we are worried for our friends, we are. We just want to help them."

"You won't accomplish much." Tega frowned. "All you would be doing is making your lives more complicated for something you will find out later anyway."

"Tega-"

"Did your parents not notice you go?" Tega interrupted. The gang froze. "I bet they did. You're going to get in trouble and the longer you're away, the more trouble you'll be in. They might do something drastic to make sure you don't do this again, like keep you away from your friends. With you kids being apart for so many days, is that what you want? That would be an inconvenience for me. All this, just so you could learn what you'd find out later anyway. This is the time to decide between your immediate self-interest and your longer term one. Are you really going to risk so much for such a minor issue?"

Ducky and the others hesitated, eyes wavering down. Ducky pressed a hand to her chest. That issue didn't occur to them. If – when – they were found by their families, they would be in so much trouble. With their track record, they really might have their time with their friends taken away. Mama Swimmer might go for something that would hurt to make sure Ducky and Spike wouldn't step out of line again. Ducky cringed at the thought of being separated from her beloved friends for many days, especially after they have been away for so long. Then she thought about Ruby and Chomper and how they were doing this dangerous duty away from their friends after everything they had been through. Ducky became firm.

"For the last time, we are doing this because we care. Can we talk about this later? We are following them."

The others also hardened and nodded. They began to walk passed Tega to their destination when a spiked tail was put in their way.

"I insist," Tega said. "I prefer you two to still be around. I would not like the two of you to be in trouble."

This gave some pause. Ducky softened a bit but shook her head.

"I am sorry but we what do not like more is not being with our friends now. We will see you later."

Ducky moved around the tail and walked off, wincing and rubbing her chest. The three followed behind her as Tega became distant.

"Are you just going to go along with them Spike?" Tega called. "I thought you were done being ordered around."

Spike stopped. His eyes were wide.

"You might be going into potential danger," she continued. "You'll be in trouble, all because you follow your friends around as expected. Is that what you really want?"

He stayed in place. Ducky, Cera, and Petrie turned around, expressions uncertain.

"Spike?" Ducky said.

Spike's eyes searched the ground, pressing a foreleg to his chest. It was true he wanted to live an ordinary life. He didn't like getting in trouble. But there was also something he wanted just as much. His eyes hardened and he glared at Tega, making clear he wanted to look after Ruby and Chomper as well. Wincing a bit, he galloped past his friends, making them cheer.

"Alright!" Cera said.

"Way to go, Spike!" Petrie cheered.

Tega watched the four disappear into the distance. For a while, she chewed silently, eyes still on the spot where she last saw them. Then she spat out her grass.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," she said.

* * *

Ruby and Chomper stood near the sweet bubble glen, the grandparents and Mr. Threehorn beside them. They had arrived back at the spot where Mr. Clubtail's body had been found. It looked like an ordinary glen. The leaves waved in the low wind and the sweet bubbles shown in the late morning light. Even a few dinosaurs were grazing nearby. Only the slight indentation in the grass indicated the horror that was discovered a few days ago. Mr. Thicknose and his volunteers had been notified of the plan with Chomper and they would unite with them later if they had a suspect that was to be confronted.

"You could pick up Mr. Clubtail's scent here." Grandpa Longneck said. "This is the most direct way to do this short of…this is more appropriate for you two."

Ruby nodded. They waited for Chomper to start whiffing the grass but he merely stood in front of the spot, eyes lowered.

"Well?" Mr. Threehorn said gruffly. "Are you going to sniff the spot or what?"

"Oh." Chomper said. "Right."

Chomper went over to the depression and sniffed. Ruby and the grownups watched as he meandered around, smelling it. Mr. Threehorn already looked like he was regretting this. It appeared he thought he would be into something more involved and energetic than this. It took a bit, as Chomper moved around the depression sluggishly. At last, he stopped. They wondered from his stillness if he didn't find anything. Then they heard sniffles and realized he was crying.

"I miss him," he said. "I miss him. I…"

Softening, Ruby closed the distance and embraced him. Chomper's breaths shuddered, and he pressed his head onto her stomach, some falling tears glimpsed by the grownups. Mr. Threehorn shuffled and looked away.

"Take – take your time," he said. "There is no rush."

For a bit, Ruby stroked Chomper's back, his occasional sniffles the only sound around. At last, he broke from her.

"I – I have the scent," he said. "Let's go."

"You sure?" Grandpa Longneck said.

"Yeah." Chomper wiped his eyes and gave a last sniffle. "Might as well see where this goes."

Clearing his throat, he put his nose to the ground. Giving a few experimental sniffs, he began walking. Looking guilty for her suggestion, Ruby followed, and the uncertain grownups brought up the rear.

A few longneck lengths back, Cera and the others stalked after them from a distance. They darted between foliage and giant rocks, keeping an eye on what was happening.

"He seems to have the scent." Ducky whispered. "Good job, Chomper. Maybe this will help him feel better."

Spike gave a "eh" and nodded, frowning in concern for his fellow sniffer.

"Me hope killer not watching." Petrie said, looking around nervously. "If he sees they get too close, he might do something."

"And that's why we're following." Cera said. Her eyes focused on Mr. Threehorn in particular. "We'll make sure nothing happens to any of them. See, that's useful. Us, being selfish. Where does she get off calling us that?"

"I think Tega was worried about us." Ducky said. "She just has a funny way of showing it, through that selfishness talk and stuff like that."

"I don't know." Cera muttered. "There is something weird about that spiketail."

"Tega would not do anything bad." Ducky gave her a glare "She is nice, really, really."

Cera opened her mouth to retort but remembering how she snapped at Ducky and the others earlier, she shook her head. "Forget it."

As the gang broke off from their bush to jog forward and hide behind a thick tree, Chomper and his group found themselves walking close to the base of the Great Wall. The mountains that surrounded the Great Valley loomed large but the bright circle wasn't yet in the position where the mountains would cast a shadow over the two groups. There were giant tracks indicating where the grownups have searched this way. The grandparents looked around, encouraged yet disquieted.

"So, we were on the right track." Grandpa Longneck whispered. "Mr. Clubtail was pulled along this place."

"Hopefully, it won't lead to the same dead end." Grandma Longneck said. "It's a wonder the killer could have moved the body a great distance. That would be exhausting work."

"Wouldn't someone who worked that hard leave their scent on the body?" Mr. Threehorn said. More loudly, he asked. "Hey Chomper, did you smell any other scents with Mr. Clubtail's?"

Chomper paused, head raised in thought. "Uh…maybe? I think there are a few scents tangled with his."

The grownups slowed, eyes widening.

"Did you say…a few?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

"Yeah, there is more than one. It's weird." He sniffed harder and frowned. "I can't identity them. For some reason, my sniffer won't let me." He scratched his chest. "Some do smell familiar though. Like I met them before."

The grandparents and Mr. Threehorn exchanged uneasy looks.

"That would be bad, if some valley residents did this." Grandma Longneck said. "This could lead to an uproar."

"It would be worth it." Mr. Threehorn said. "It doesn't matter how long they lived here, they need to be punished for what they did."

They continued to follow Chomper as he sniffed down the scent trail, the grass and tracks becoming sparse. They were going beyond the search territory. For a while, they walked, moving through bare earth, with slight depressions and rocks and boulders dotted about. Chomper paused or raised his head often as he sniffed, sometimes making their hearts skip a beat and Ruby look worried, but he always found the scent again and continued onward. Their legs were becoming sore as the bright circle moved into the middle position in the sky. Then Chomper stopped and sniffed around, putting his nose into the ground at the base of another depression before he stood up. The others watched nervously.

"Have you lost the scent?" Ruby asked.

"No, it stops." Chomper said.

"How is that different?" Mr. Threehorn asked.

"It doesn't go any further. Mr. Clubtail didn't go beyond here. I know it sounds strange but the smells goes…up." Chomper looked up, sniffing. "I think this is where Mr. Clubtail fell."

"Really?" Grandpa Longneck said.

They crowded closer. Mr. Threehorn brought his head to the ground as they looked at the slight depression, clear of the debris from elsewhere but slightly larger and more ovular than the rest.

"Now that I'm looking for it, I think this is a crater where someone fell." Mr. Threehorn noted. "Someone did a good job of clearing it up. I can barely tell it apart from the others boulder craters."

"The killer, probably." Grandma Longneck said. "It is disturbing he appears to have help. Was this their plan, or did his friends decide to clean up after a mistake he made?"

"I don't know." Grandpa Longneck looked up at a distant protrusion along the mountain above them that indicated a path. "I have the feeling the answer will be somewhere up there."

Chomper looked down. "Sorry I couldn't get the answer right away."

"What are you talking about?" Grandpa Longneck smiled. "We have a place to look for further clues."

Grandma Longneck nodded. "We would have been stuck if it wasn't for you and Ruby's help."

"Yeah." Mr. Threehorn said, with a flicker of a smile. "I've got to admit, you kids are resourceful. Now we might finally get to the bottom of this."

Chomper stared at the grownups. He turned to Ruby, who smiled and nodded, a satisfied tilt to her beak. She had put him up to this to show what he was capable of. Even if they didn't find penultimate clue right away, they got somewhere substantial, which could help the Great Valley deal with this killer. Slowly, a tentative smile formed on Chomper's lips. Maybe he could be of use to his friends after all.

Meanwhile, Cera and the others watched from the safety of a stray boulder as Chomper and the others stood on the bare ground near the Great Wall. They were too far to hear what the others were saying but the grownups and Chomper and Ruby were bunched up together. The gang peered around their hiding spot, straining not to fall over.

"What happening?" Petrie asked. "Ooh, they find clue?"

"It seems so." Cera agreed. "They are looking very closely at that one spot on the ground. What could it be?"

"Maybe me can fly over sneakily and hear what they are talking about," he suggested.

"If you do that, one of them might look up and see you," she said.

Petrie huffed. "Hey, why you no listen? My idea could be useful."

Ducky leaned forward from her position on Spike. "There must be some way to hear them. It would be bad if we got into this much trouble and could not hear-" She stopped, rising. "Wait, what is that?"

"What is what?" Cera asked.

"That sound. Did you not hear it? It sounded like crackling rocks."

They fell silent, not sure what they were trying to hear. It was Spike who first caught onto it, raising his head with an "Hmm?" Then the rest heard it. A distant creaking, the sound of rocks somewhere high being disturbed.

"Me hear it." Petrie said. "It must be coming from Great Wall. What is it?"

A crackle mixed in with the creaking, the volume louder. It caused the four to shuffle uneasily.

"Where it coming from?" Ducky looked around. "Follow the sound. Follow..."

The crackle became deep, creaky. They looked about, the sound too echoey with distance, but Petrie cast his eyes up and gave a soft cry. A huge pile of rocks and boulders was lined on top of the Great Wall mountain looming over them. The pile was higher than a longneck and it pushed forward and back, creaking, like a sharptooth ready to pounce. What really put their hearts in their throats was when they traced their eyes down and saw the line of the rock piles aligned perfectly with the group they were watching.

"Oh no, no, no." Ducky whispered.

"That aimed for Littlefoot's grandparents and Cera's dad." Petrie said. "But why? Oh, this bad. Is – this killer?"

Spike whimpered with worry. The crackle became louder yet. The large rock and boulder pile shifted forward and a few already began cracking down. Ruby and Chomper and the grownups continued conversing, oblivious.

"They're too busy talking to know what's coming." Cera's breaths quickened. "We need to warn them, we need to -"

"There you children are!"

The four jumped. Tria stood behind them, looking furious.

"Do you understand the kind of trouble you're in?" she continued. "Why, I have a half a mind to-"

Crack. The pile of rocks and boulders shook, creaking with the sound of something on the point of no return. Mr. Threehorn, the grandparents, and Ruby and Chomper started upon hearing Tria's voice and craned their heads to look back, still in the danger zone.

Abandoning all pretense, Cera jumped into view. "Daddy, everyone, look out! Rock slide coming! There's a rock slide coming!"

The grandparents, Mr. Threehorn, Ruby, and Chomper stared, uncomprehending. They looked up just in time to see the rock pile far above creak and frozen in place. They started moving-

Bang! Bang! Bang! The rocks and boulders burst out with explosive force. They rolled down the mountain, gathering up loose rocks and other debris, becoming a narrow but thick wave. Some rocks and boulders were projected far enough by the force to fall straight down, a few crashing onto the Great Wall path but most fell past. Standing at the edge of the danger zone, Ruby and Chomper cried out and scrambled ahead. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck and Mr. Threehorn made to follow but several boulders crashed down and formed an obstacle ahead of them. Looking up with mouths open, the three backed away but the wave of earth was too fast and Cera and the others could only watch in horror as it converged upon them…

* * *

Littlefoot followed Patty through the valley, the sound of footsteps and the conversations of valley residents fading in and out around them. He couldn't help looking back every now and again but his attention kept getting drawn back to Patty, and her promise of action.

"Sorry for being absent," she said. "After all the chaos Verter caused, the herd leader was rather reluctant to let us go."

"That's okay." Littlefoot replied. "This Verter thing has messed everything up. At least I got to spend some time with my friends." He paused. "Um, where are we going?"

"A very important place." Patty said, staring ahead. "To tell you the truth, after all the drama Verter caused, I felt I had to do something. This valley had suffered enough: the ghosts, Verter's scheming…no one should live like this. So I sneaked off from the herd and started looking around to find the cause of all this negativity. And today, I found something."

"You mean you found what is causing the ghosts?" he said quickly.

"I found a way to fix things." She turned and smiled at him. "Soon, the ghost drama and all the struggles related to it will be over."

"Really? It's here? In the Great Valley?"

"That's where we are going now. We are going to put an end to this."

Littlefoot sighed, smiling. "Thank goodness. Everything has been so tense since those ghosts showed up. Everyone will be glad when it's over."

"It's an imperfect phenomena." Patty agreed. "People see their loved ones again but if they remember they're dead, they go back. It would be better if that was fixed. To really be honest, I have been searching for a solution since I got to the Great Valley. I've been exploring, becoming familiar with its routes."

"Really? Wow." Littlefoot said. He hung his head. "But you have been wasting your time playing with me."

"Don't say that." She smiled at him. "Helping one person is as important as helping entire herds. Sometimes, I need reminding of that. Ah, there's the tunnel."

They had been walking in a rightly direction, making a beeline for one side of the Great Wall. They came across a cave, tall and wide, large enough for someone of Patty's size to fit comfortably. They entered, the sound of their footsteps and breaths bouncing off the walls of a long tunnel that curved upward, like some of the mountain paths on the Great Wall. Littlefoot looked around, amazed. He never realized this kind of place was here before.

"I also came to you because you're important for this." Patty continued. "I needed someone familiar with adventure to help put an end to the ghosts."

"Me?" Littlefoot said, surprised. "But I'm just a kid. You have been adventuring much longer, couldn't you do it?"

"As much as I'm willing to, I can't do this on my own." She smiled sadly. "I need someone with a much greater wanderlust than I have, some experience in fending off sharpteeth and helping others. I have a feeling you would make a wise decision, Littlefoot."

"O-okay," he said, looking down. "I'm…honored you trust me like this. But what does this ghost stopping thing require?"

"I'm afraid I can't go into detail. There is a limited time where we can do this."

"What, if we don't get there in time, the ghosts will keeping coming forever?" he said quickly.

"I just don't want to people to deal with this any more than they have to." Patty said. More quietly, she continued. "I just hope this works."

She hurried her pace, and Littlefoot followed, mind a whirlwind. This was moving so quickly, his brain was having a hard time catching up. Still, it made sense if she didn't want people to continue suffering from the ghosts any more than they have to. He was being trusted with an important responsibility. He wondered what he was supposed to do. Was there a magic rock they were supposed to make a wish on? Were they supposed to call down the stars to help block a hole where ghosts were leaking? Or were they supposed to say a fancy phrase or song? He had a hard time conceptualizing what might happen. He only had his grandfather's stories and the Stone of Cold Fire to go back to but they weren't real. Whatever it was, he had to be ready or the ghosts might be here forever. He had to get some semblance of his old valley life back. How were his friends and grandparents going to react? They would be proud, no doubt about that, if amused or annoyed he was in the middle of something so important again. But a part of him couldn't help wondering what Patty would do after that, when her duty would be over…

Littlefoot was distracted from his thoughts by a distant crash. Feeling a pit in his stomach, he galloped to an opening the size of a pebbleback in the tunnel ahead and saw debris ranging from rocks to boulders falling from the Great Wall on the opposite side, material that should be still and solid falling unnaturally like water. It was a narrow band compared to some of the other rockslides he saw but it made up for it with its intensity. He just had enough time to glimpse a couple of familiar tiny figures rapidly backing away before they were obscured by dust blooming in from the rockslide. The sound of debris surging down gradually quieted to a rumble and a great brown plume was spreading out. Littlefoot was unable to see what happened to the dinosaurs below. Patty stood ahead of him, frozen, before gazing back in alarm.

"What happened?" she asked.

"All the rocks fell on the other side." Littlefoot replied. "I saw Grandpa, Grandma, and Mr. Threehorn near the Great Wall there and everything's cloudy." He stared, panting. "They might have gotten buried. We have to help them!"

Patty's brow creased in worry. "If we keep going, we can use the path on the other side to help them from there."

"Get to the other side? We can't do anything up here. We need to get back to the ground and dig them out."

"The rockslide could be top heavy. Relieving the pressure from above would make it easier for them to climb out."

Littlefoot looked outside uncertainly. She had a point. If the rock pile was large, then they would need a high place to help clear it away. Yet as the dust cleared a bit, he saw it wouldn't help.

"No, look." He stepped aside to give Patty room to peer through. "All the rocks are near the ground. Turning around and helping on the ground will be faster."

She looked through the opening, thinking. "Okay. There must be a path on the other side that could get us back to the ground quicker. We can go there."

"Why are you so insistent we take a path ahead?" Littlefoot said. "Time is of the essence! Please, Grandpa and Grandma are there. I can't lose them!"

Patty began to look uncomfortable. Littlefoot supposed this was reminding her of the loss of her mother. A drop of guilt came into his chest but there were more urgent matters now.

"There must be a way out from the other side," she said. "I'm sure we could find it."

Littlefoot gave her a disbelieving stare. "Didn't you say you were familiar with the paths around here? Why do you suddenly not know now? "

"I'm still new to the valley." Patty looked back and forth, desperate. "I haven't memorized everything. Don't leave. We still need to stop the ghosts, remember?"

That gave Littlefoot some pause, a cool of reason coming to his chest. It would be really bad if they had the opportunity to stop it and didn't take it. Then he thought of his grandparents, and his desperation hardened his resolve.

"No, my grandparents could reallynbe hurt. You didn't say there was a narrow time we can do this. We could just go back later."

"I – I did hint that." Though Patty looked like she regretted it. "But, it's just –" She looked ahead. "There must be a way through the tunnels. If we could…"

"Stop delaying! My grandparents need help now! If there's no path and we have to go back, that's time where their situation could get even worse." Littlefoot took a deep breath and turned. "We need to go the quicker route back."

"Littlefoot, please-"

"No!" Littlefoot said. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but I'm not staying around. If you want to waste time looking for another path down, fine. I'm going the quicker way."

With that, Littlefoot turned around and began running, his chest searing. He knew he might have hurt Patty's feelings but they could make up about it later. Right now, he had to move as quickly as he could and-

Wham! Something long and thin snatched his tail. He fell to the ground, yowling in pain. Patty held onto him with his tail, her grip tight, her expression a sign of desperation.

"Patty, what are you doing?" Littlefoot demanded. "Let go!"

"Littlefoot, I promise that if you come with me, your grandparents and everyone you love will be safe." Patty said. "You only need to spend some time with me."

"You're not making any sense! What does this ghost stopping thing have to do with it?"

"Everything!" she said. "This solution will help them more than anything. Once you're done, you can be with them – forever."

"What are you talking about?" Littlefoot asked. "If something happens to them, then I can't be with them. If we do this, I – I can't even see them as ghosts." His voice broke and for a second, he gazed down with pain. Then he glared up. "Let me go, Patty. Let – me – go!"

"Please, listen!" Patty said, a little anger coming in. "What can you do? Other dinosaurs are probably going to the scene now. Even they would struggle carrying them out, so how would you fair? I've helped many large dinosaurs out there, I know! I have carried longnecks, threehorns, and their weight is overwhelming, and that's leaving aside the clubtail-"

She stopped. She looked down at Littlefoot, eyes wide, like she hadn't meant to say that. He stopped struggling. He looked up, a cool of unease in his stomach.

"Clubtail," he said. "Why did you say clubtail?"

"I – I helped _clubtails_." Patty said. "There are a lot out there." She chuckled nervously. "Why, I helped so many, I'm sure I helped some who like seeing the night circle as a sweet bubble too."

"How do you know about that?" Littlefoot asked. "Mr. Clubtail only told my friends and our families that."

She jerked. "Y-your grandparents told the others. I overheard it at some point. It was his secret but since his death, they naturally told everyone so they could guess where he and the killer were."

"If you only overheard it, why do you look guilty about it?"

She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Littlefoot slowly stood up.

"Patty, what happened? You've been acting strange. D-do you have a suspicion? Did you see what happened?"

Patty remained silent. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You – you didn't do anything, right? Just – tell me what happened. Please, say something. Patty!"

Patty watched Littlefoot for a long moment. She didn't appear to know what to say. Then she lowered her head and sighed.

"You see too much sometimes," she said.

 **Next time…**

 **Part 2**


	18. The Anchors Part 2

**We Will Hold On Forever**

 **by**

 **DaveTheAnalyzer**

 **Chapter 18: The Anchors Part 2**

The roar of the rockslide went on forever. The rocks and boulders surged down the mountain, loosening and carrying along other material, making an earthy wave. Cera and the others remained ducked behind their boulder, Tria having rushed forward and pressed her head over them. Brown dust bloomed outward, like the mist from a waterfall, and they coughed as it entered their lungs. All the while the crash continued to fill their ears, a surge that stretched the many second out into eternity.

Then at last, the rumble quieted. The crackles and crashes became spaced apart and silence reigned, the silence following a disaster. Tentatively, they opened their eyes and peered up. The brown dust was still around them, obscuring their view of everything. Cera raised her head, trying to keep her breaths even but finding that difficult as she looked around.

"Daddy," she said. "Daddy!"

"Cera, don't move yet!" Tria said. "It might still be dangerous." Tentatively, she stepped back, glancing down. "Are you all alright?"

"We – we think we are." Ducky answered, getting up from Spike's neck. "But what about the others?"

"I don't know." Tria said. She stared into the brown fog ahead. "Oh no. Topsy…"

The brown plum continued to be around them. They looked around but there was silence and they appeared to be the only ones around.

"Ruby! Chomper!" Ducky shouted, cupping her mouth. "Where are you? Please be alright. Oh, please…"

Spike echoed her, calling with urgency and concern. The silence was worrying. They wondered if their friends could hear them or something worse happened. Then a distant voice called out.

"…alright!" Ruby said. "Chomper is alright too. We got ahead of it quickly."

There were sighs of relief. It was good to know their friends were still safe. The tentative tap of footsteps came behind them, and they realized they weren't alone.

"Ducky? Spike? Is that you?" Mama Swimmer's voice called out. "My goodness, I was marching over expecting to punish you for getting into trouble, only to find you in another kind of trouble."

"The trouble did not happen to us." Ducky said. "It happened for Ruby, Chomper, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, and Cera's dad. Ruby and Chomper are fine but they are on the far side of the rockslide."

"I'll go get them." Mama Flyer's voice said, close to Mama Swimmer's. "I'll make sure they don't get in the way of any remaining falling rocks."

There were the flap as Mama Flyer flew away. The dust cleared a bit, and they could see some of the trees behind them. A tall shape was approaching in that direction, resolving into a distressed Mama Swimmer. A few other dinosaurs were moving in behind her, the first bystanders that usually came after a disaster struck, examining their surroundings. They could begin to see the outline of the pile of rocks and boulders looming over, some of the round shapes of individual debris becoming clear. They saw a flying shape go by, making a beeline for two distant youthful figures moving tentatively into view from around the pile. Cera looked around with increasing distress.

"Daddy!" she said. "Daddy, where are you?"

"Grandpa Longneck! Grandma!" Petrie said. "You safe, right? Me sure you safe." More quietly, he said. "Please say you safe."

There was silence. People got closer, a few glancing among themselves and whispering as they got together who was in trouble. The dust continued to hover, leading to many blind spots around them. A dark grey female threehorn bit her lip with worry. There was the feeling of everyone holding a breath. Then, a voice.

"It – it's alright." Grandpa Longneck's voice panted. "We're alive!"

There were sighs of relief and cheers. Three figures appeared to the left of the Great Wall, dark shapes in the dust. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck resolved into view, a bit dirty and scratched up, but unharmed. Mr. Threehorn brought up the rear, eyes wide and panting from the aftermath of a hard run.

"Daddy!" Cera cried.

Tria broke her hold and allowed Cera to run forward, nudging against Mr. Threehorn's lowered head and nuzzling him.

"I'm sorry for worrying you. Both of you," he added, as Tria came in for a nuzzle. "That was a close one there."

"Oh." Tria said, pressing into him. "You got to stop scaring me like this."

More dinosaurs were arriving. They were squinting through the dust, mouths open at the damage they could glimpse. Mr. Thicknose had come in along with his volunteers, taking in the scene before him with wide eyes. They were able to hear Grandpa Longneck announce their status, and Mr. Thicknose approached him and Grandma Longneck.

"When I heard you were trying a new angle, I didn't realize you were risking your life for it," he said dryly.

"Neither were we." Grandma Longneck replied. "The rockslide surprised us. We nearly got buried there."

"And those kids got into danger again." Mr. Thicknose sighed, glancing at the gang. "I wish they would stop risking themselves like this."

"We aren't happy about it," Grandpa Longneck said, "but it was because they followed and gave their warning that we had enough time to get away."

They smiled as Mama Flyer escorted Ruby and Chomper to Cera and the others, and the kids embraced. The grandparents and other grownups turned and looked up. The dust had finally cleared. A pile of rocks and boulders reached up high before them, nearly twice the height of a longneck and covering an area wider than the Thundering Falls. The lower part of the pile sloped a bit forward but enough rocks had gathered that it stabilized and there was no risk of it rolling down.

"What caused this?" Grandpa Longneck said.

"It's too much of a coincidence that rockslide came in at the exact spot where we found where Mr. Clubtail fell." Grandma Longneck said.

"It isn't." Cera said. "There was a giant pile of rocks on top of the mountain. Someone was trying to push them on you."

"Someone did not want us to live to put the clues together." Grandpa Longneck said. "They were very desperate. They must have kept close track of what we were doing. But who...?"

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! They got away?"

Everyone looked up at the voice. It was distant and echoed, but it projected from the top of the Great Wall mountain. They could just make out two heads looking down at them. The long, narrow head flinched but the other just stood there, gazing down without shame. They were a familiar brown and green.

"Wait." Petrie said. "That is-"

A four legged dinosaur jumped down the Great Wall. There were gasps but she slid down an angled path of the Great Wall, maneuvering her feet to avoid protrusions and landing on the mountain path. She gazed down at the assembled dinosaurs, chewing her piece of grass.

"Bet you didn't think I could do that, huh?" The spiketail said.

Everyone stared. There was a distant growl of frustration. The flyer figure opened his wings and flapped out, flying down to the spiketail.

"Did you really have to go down and expose us?" he demanded.

"You exposed us by talking too loudly," she replied. "No use hiding after that."

A whoosh came through Cera and the others. They looked up along with everyone else, seeing but unable to believe.

"I am confused." Ducky said. "I am so confused! What are Tega and Don doing there?"

Don and Tega stood together on the mountain path, looking down on everyone.

"You!" Grandpa Longneck said. "You were the ones who tried to kill us?"

Don hesitated but his gaze hardened.

"I did warn this plan shouldn't be implemented," he said. "Now you suffer the consequences."

There were intakes of breath. Those that were gathered exchanged glances, disbelieving, not knowing what to do with this. Mr. Thicknose's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, before sending a concerned glance at the gang. A few other dinosaurs were walking in, looking about with confusion at what the fuss was about. There was a shout.

"No!" Ruby said. "This has got to be a misunderstanding! Please say this is a misunderstanding, right?"

Don flinched and looked way. Tega continued to chew her grass, no guilt in her eyes.

"You were getting too close to the truth," she said. "We couldn't have you bumbling in and ruining everything we had been working for."

"Ruin everything you work for?" Grandpa Longneck said. "That must mean…you were the ones who murdered Mr. Clubtail!"

There were shocked murmurs. Mama Flyer stepped back near the children.

"You mean…I've been allowing a murderer near my family?" she asked.

"We weren't the ones who killed Mr. Clubtail." Don said. "It was…an associate of ours. A rash action. It caused us much trouble."

"Not that makes us feel any better." Mama Swimmer snapped. "Why were you associating with our children? What did you want with them?"

"We thought we might as well make the best of the situation." Tega said. "Your children are very important. It could solve many problems at once."

"You didn't answer the question." Mr. Threehorn growled.

Don sighed. "Let's go through the reasons. First, we couldn't help but notice Cera and Chomper were getting caught in the company of a dubious character, Verter." He grimaced, eyes rolling up in distaste. "We were concerned about what the threehorn would do to the pair. So we associated with your children to have them doubt Verter and get them to separate Cera and Chomper from him."

"What?" Grandpa Longneck said.

"What is going on?" said a voice. The spikethumb leader marched in, eyes sweeping around. "What is everyone gathering near a dangerous rockslide pile for?"

"Ah, here she is." Tega said. "What convenient timing."

The spikethumb leader looked up and narrowed her gaze at Tega and Don on the path. "Who are you people?"

"These dinosaurs tried to kill us while we tracked down the killer, who they are associated with." Grandpa Longneck answered. "They also had some hand in arranging Verter's death."

"They have?" The spikethumb leader turned, gaze boring into the pair. "So you are the ones who murdered one of my herd members."

"Something like that." Tega smirked. "He was a bad, bad boy."

"Is that supposed to be funny? How do you justify yourselves?" The spikethumb leader retorted, furious.

"Haven't you noticed the troublemaker in your herd? Someone has been sneaking out of your herd at night." Don said. "He was going to take Cera and Chomper away. We couldn't have our associate caught. With those two concerns, we framed him for the murder."

The spikethumb leader frowned, looking strangely disconcerted about what he said.

"Wait." Mama Flyer said slowly. "So the whole reason you bonded with Petrie and the others was to blame Verter for the murder?"

"Not on the whole." Tega said. "But it was a very important part."

Silence fell. Petrie, Ruby, Ducky, and Spike looked down, shock mixed with grief. It had been only a few short days, but they had gotten along well with Don and Tega. They thought the pair had gotten closer because of genuine interest. The concept they bonded with the kids for duplicitous reasons was a betrayal they struggled to comprehend.

"T-tell us," Ruby's voice cracked. "Was – was everything a lie. Did you really care about us?"

Don flinched. He closed his eyes, pain mixing in as he sighed.

"I do like you two," he said finally. "But I had to do it. I had to lead you to the right conclusions so our mission wouldn't be for naught."

"So we weren't being smart?" Petrie said, voice trembling. "We were being lead to what you want to think?"

"You followed the clues I laid out well, Petrie." Don said. "You put them together at the right moment. We suspected Verter was up to something, but not kidnapping. You helped urge action just when we needed it most."

"But me did not do that because me smart." Petrie stepped back. "You…you tricked Petrie. You made me feel smart so you could make me go where you want."

"I don't mean to be blunt but…it fits your temperament." Don replied. "You'll need far more time to get where I am."

Petrie staggered, unable to stop a whimper from escaping his beak. Mama Flyer pressed a hand to his back, glaring upwards.

"If someone is tricked, that means someone has to be the trickster!" Ruby said. Her eyes were wet but they burned with anger "How dare you hurt us like this."

"Ruby, I'm not happy about this-" Don began.

"If you weren't happy about it, you should have stopped!" she snapped. "A good person would stop and apologize. Just feeling regretful while still doing bad things isn't good enough."

"You don't understand!" Don shouted. "Oh, of course you don't understand. I have to survive, my wisdom has to survive! For Wing Father's sake, I can't allow the world to forsake me again." He almost appeared to glow with fury. "Hurting two children's feelings isn't great but there are more important things out there. I can't expect someone from your generation to understand!"

"Calm down, Donny boy." Tega said. "You don't want to reveal things too soon, do you?"

Don stopped and closed his eyes as he attempted to calm down. Ruby glared, a tear going down.

"Ah, there's the old Don," she said. "Was that in you this whole time?"

Don started. Regret flickered in before he shook himself and glared down coolly. Ducky looked up with Spike with hesitation.

"What about you, Tega?" she asked. "Did – did you not feel anything for us?"

Tega stared down while chewing her grass.

"You were amusing," she said at last. "That's the most positive thing I could say about you two."

Spike started, his eyes wide. Ducky stepped back.

"That – that is all?" she asked.

"You shouldn't be surprised, with my self-interest talk." Tega continued. "You have such a naïve view of the world, I had to stop myself from smiling more than once. You two weren't much help though. You didn't pick up my hints that Verter was a danger at all."

"But I liked you." Ducky protested. "Me and Spike did. Even if you were kind of snippy, I thought you were our friend."

"Friend? Pah." Tega laughed. "You were just a means to an end. I was such a jerk to you two but your wishy-washy compassion made you give me chances again and again." She sighed and looked down "Ah, the beginning story of so many battered mates."

Ducky flinched. In spite of herself, she started sniffling and Spike whimpered. Mama Swimmer embraced them.

"You're heartless, Tega," she snapped.

Tega yawned. "Did you practice that in your sleep? How natural for the mother of unimaginary cretins."

Expressions grief-stricken, Petrie, Ruby, Ducky, and Spike pressed together while Cera and Chomper, watching sadly, joined them, already knowing the sting of betrayal. Cera glared up at them, furious on her friends' behalf. Those two were monsters, for hurting them, for nearly taking away her dad…but how were an old flyer and lazy spiketail able to push so much rocks? She was too confused and sad and angry to pursue that thought, assuming it wasn't actually that strange since the gang have caused rockslides themselves a few times. More than one dinosaur was glaring up at Don and Tega after that exchange.

"You didn't need to put the kids through all this hardship." Mr. Thicknose said. "There was already concern about Verter. Rumors were being spread about what he might be up to."

"That was because I was spreading those rumors." Don replied. "No one was taking swift enough action. Cera and Chomper could be under threat. So I passed the word on to a couple of gossipy female flyers and spread it wide. I thought this would press the valley to take the kids from Verter. Unfortunately, no one took the rumors seriously enough."

"You do realize the reputation rumors have around here." Tega said.

"I did what I had to do." Don said. "It is everyone else's problem they didn't act."

"But if you realized how these things were received, you would have come up with something better. Not very smart, eh?"

Don growled but he didn't object. Grandpa Longneck stared up, anger over the treatment of the gang making him press his lips together.

"So what was the other reason you associated with the children?" he demanded.

"It was because of their connection to a certain someone." Don said. "A little impertinent longneck known as Littlefoot."

"Littlefoot?"

There were whispers. Dinosaurs turned and exchanged glances. Guido landed on a branch beside Swooper, who turned and gave a summary of what he was hearing from the conversation.

"That's right." Tega said. "Wing Father is really interested in him. And as his Anchors, it's our duty to seek what he wants."

"Anchors?" Mr. Threehorn said. "What are you doing, throwing around made up words?"

"It's not a made up word. Let's just say it's going to become popular in a future that's not going to happen."

Grandpa Longneck frowned. "And who's Wing Father?"

"That's just a saying Don likes to say when he's frustrated." Ruby said. "At least, that's what he says…right?"

She turned to Don, uncertain. Don shuffled and gazed down.

"It was a saying I made up to cover for when I was muttering his name," he said. "As experienced as I am, I can't help but talk to myself at times and it would have been suspicious if I started saying a stranger's name."

"But who is Wing Father?" Grandpa Longneck said. "And what does he want with Littlefoot?"

"Oh, it's a name you'll become familiar with very soon." Tega said. "He is going to make some changes around here. Things that should have been reality a long time ago. As for Littlefoot, he is the chosen one, he is where it starts." She rolled her eyes. "Typical, right? That longneck is going to play a very important role in putting Wing Father in charge."

"You won't get him!" Grandpa Longneck said, stepping forward. "We refuse to let you touch him!"

Don sighed. "This is why we have been so secretive. People tend to act rash with what they don't understand. For Wing Father's sake, that is why we tried to kill you when you were getting close to the truth."

"So that was why Mr. Clubtail was killed?" Mama Flyer asked. "Because he found out about Wing Father?"

"Found out a place related to him." Tega replied. "Caused our associate who found him to panic and kill him."

"And you are okay with this murder?" Grandpa Longneck asked. "Is this Wing Father?"

"Wing Father is beyond normal morals." Don said. "Whatever our actions, they are worth it for the greater world we pursue."

"No one is above morals." Grandma Longneck said. "You're not making a good argument for your leader. The killer. Who it is?"

"Oh, it should have been obvious. It would be the troublemaker in the spikethumb's herd. The one who sneaks off for much of the night."

"You already agree that Verter wasn't the killer." Tria said. "So why are you-"

"Verter wasn't the one sneaking off for much of the night." The spikethumb leader interrupted. She looked troubled.

"W-what?" Tria blinked. "But – he sneaked to Topsy the night you arrived. How could you-"

"He might have done so, but he was present all other nights. I checked myself. "

"Oh. Then I'm confused." Tria replied "Who else could have sneaked off? I only know him and he was clever, maybe he slinked off to find new training spots or -"

"It wasn't him, it was Patty!" The spikethumb leader said.

Silence fell. It was almost greater than the silence that followed the rockslide.

"I have sneaked in looks of the body when no one was looking," Don said. "Didn't you wonder what those thin marks under the injuries from his fall were?"

The silence remained. Don leaned down, gripping the edge of the path.

"Whips marks." he said. "Young, longneck whip marks. Do you see?"

They all stared. Slowly, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck started looked around, head movements becoming quicker with desperation.

"Littlefoot." Grandpa Longneck said, breaths becoming harsh. "W-where's Littlefoot?!"

Tega laughed creakily. Don snorted.

"Don't you worry," he said. "He is on his way to Wing Father now."

* * *

Silence reigned in the tunnel. Littlefoot was staring at Patty, barely aware of her tail wrapped around his. Her eyes were lowered. Her sad, resigned tone was so unlike how she usually behaved he didn't know what to make of it.

"See too much?" he repeated. "What do you mean? Are you saying that – no. Oh no."

"I wish I had been more careful with my words." Patty said. She sighed. "But I can't take them back now."

Littlefoot gulped. He tried to deny, to spin all this as a practical joke, but he couldn't wave off the evidence in front of him.

"You killed Mr. Clubtail," he whispered.

She didn't say anything. A cold spread through Littlefoot, settling in his stomach and tingling beneath his skin. He couldn't believe, still couldn't. Patty, the teenage longneck who had a loss like his own, so nice yet so sad, who accepted an offer of friendship from a youth like him. How could the Patty he came to know do something like this?

"W-why?" his voice cracked.

She sighed. "I acted rashly. When I heard Mr. Clubtail planned to look at the night circle on the Great Wall, I got paranoid. I knew I might be overthinking the risks but-"

"How did you know about that?" Littlefoot interrupted. "Mr. Clubtail only told us."

"I hung behind to listen in on you." Patty said. "I was so happy to meet you, Littlefoot. I couldn't resist hiding behind the trees and hearing more about you. When I heard what Mr. Clubtail was going to do, I thought I should be sure. So that night I followed him along the Great Wall path, watching him look at the Night Circle. I thought nothing was going to happen other than watching someone with odd tastes be silly. Then he – came across the cave, the place where we're going. He had looked so scared. I thought if he told the others about what he saw, they might misunderstand and collapse the cave so we couldn't change the world. I – I couldn't let that happen. So I..."

She fell silent, not needing to elaborate. Littlefoot lay there, trying to comprehend, eyes wavering to Patty, the ground, and back again.

"You – you killed him because he got scared," he said. He sniffled. "Why – why couldn't you have just explained things to him?"

"He would have been scared to have me suddenly appear there. He would have run." Patty hesitated and said. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, you know. So I ha-"

There was a ringing Littlefoot's ears. Something hot burned in him, making him shake.

"Don't," his voice came out harsh. "Don't you dare. Mr. Clubtail was in no way a threat to anyone, how dare you say that."

"I –" Patty said hastily. "It was to prevent suffering in the world. I just couldn't-"

Littlefoot's head snapped up, eyes full of fury.

"Don't you say you had to kill him!" he shouted. "If this is to stop the ghosts, you could have explained that to him! You said what you're doing is supposed end suffering, but with Mr. Clubtail's death, you caused more! All the fear and sadness here is because of you!"

"I – I didn't want to do this," she stammered. "This is very important. You didn't know him that well anyway. He – he didn't have any mate or kids."

"That doesn't matter," he snapped. "Just because he had no family doesn't mean his life is worth any less. Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth?"

"I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me. I'll try to make up for it." She stepped forward. "Now can we please continue on to our mission?"

"No!" Littlefoot stepped away. "Why are you doing this Patty? You said you just found a solution to the ghosts but what you said about Mr. Clubtail says you knew sooner than that. Why couldn't you have just told everyone you found the solution? After all we've been through, we would have gladly jumped at the opportunity to end the ghosts. Does this really solve that?"

"It does, but-"

"But what? What else happens if we do this thing? Why won't you tell me?" He saw her step back, looking scared, the type of fear Littlefoot had seen in his adventures when one got too close to the truth. Something in him broke. "I thought you were my friend. I thought you considered life important. Yet you killed Mr. Clubtail, you killed him without a second thought. Do – do you care about anyone?" He closed his eyes. "Murderer!"

Patty flinched. She reared her head, anger coming in.

"This hasn't been easy for me either, you know," she said. "I've had to carry the weight of this death every day, along with the death of Mom. Do you think I want this? Do you think I want to hurt others? I did all this so I could end the world's pain. It's all I have left. If it goes wrong, what reason would I have to exist?"

"You could have found friends, other family." Littlefoot said. "I struggled after Mother died but I found new people to be with. Struggling after a parent's death is hard…but you could have lived for something else."

"That is the thing, Littlefoot!" Patty shut her eyes. "I didn't survive!"

All the anger inside him got blown away by confusion. "What?"

Patty started. It appeared as though she hadn't meant to say that. Her eyes wandered around before she sighed.

"After Mom's death…I just fell apart," she said. "I switched between wandering around and staying in one place for days at a time. I didn't notice I was hungry for a long time, and by the time I did, I just didn't care. It got tiring to move around. And then…"

Littlefoot blinked. Then the full implications of her words hit, and he found himself scrambling back.

"You're…you're dead?" he asked.

"I accepted its embrace," she said. "I was so sad, so angry. I didn't want to deal with living anymore. I cursed the circle of life Mom told me about for taking her away, glad I was no longer under its whim. But as the darkness came around…he came."

A beatific smile slid across Patty's face. Littlefoot felt his chest cool and he listened.

"Wing Father. He was someone beyond this world, never touched by the Circle of Life. He had been watching us for a long time. He thought it was unfair. Those who you love should never leave you. You shouldn't suffer for want or hunger. He wanted to change things. He offered me a role in putting him in charge so he could make it a reality. That is why I'm walking the land again…because of this opportunity he gave me."

Littlefoot shook his head. "You really have lost your mind. You can't be dead. Wing Father is just Don's saying. You must be delirious."

"Come Littlefoot, is that really what you're going to say when ghosts exist?" Patty asked. "If I'm the killer, does it occur you why I didn't appear tired when you met me after Mr. Clubtail's body was discovered? When I spent much the night following him and dragging his body to the sweet bubble glen? I should have been exhausted. That was Wing Father's power. With him, I don't need to sleep or eat. I can walk for days and still have enough energy to keep going."

"But that's impossible!" he protested. "I saw you eat, I saw you bite at the leaves in the trees."

"That was only acting. Did you ever notice I always seem to 'eat' on the other side of the tree or when you're doing something else? I don't want to waste food. Of course, this means it has been long since I ate or slept. And being back in my body…I can't grow up. I haven't for a long time."

Littlefoot stared. This was all so impossible. But there was an unwavering look to her eyes. Mouth dry, he spoke up.

"How long?"

She hesitated. "Twenty cold times. I had to move from herd to herd so people wouldn't notice my odd eating and sleeping habits. I couldn't have them know my secrets. So I had to be alone, waiting until the time was right to change the world. But someone alive needs to be part of it, someone who embodies one of the many qualities of the living. Littlefoot, that's you."

Littlefoot stepped back. "M-me?"

Patty nodded. "Wing Father told me about you. I was so looking forward to meeting you. Imagine my surprise when you were the one who approached me. He needs those like me who could link him to this world. But he needs the help of the living to get him in power. Someone like you helping change the world, you should be honored. I know all of this is confusing. I'm sure Wing Father can clear this up. He has a way of explaining things that makes them make sense. He'll set everything right."

She turned and dragged him up the tunnel. Littlefoot staggered, attempting to process everything. Patty, the person he thought had been a friend, had died, and a power beyond his imagination had brought her back for vague plans to influence the world. It was so important, a person had to be murdered to keep it going. It was so unbelievable. A few weeks back, Littlefoot would have thought her mad. But after meeting his mother's spirit and encountering ghosts that unleashed heartbreak and terror, he couldn't ignore the supernatural was real. All the pieces she pointed to fit together. He never saw her truly eat, she rarely if ever tired from playing with him, and she had continuous youth. And she was going to have him meet the person whose influence made her do those terrible things.

He found his feet scraping against the ground, ignoring the stinging in his chest, almighty panic gripping him. Patty stopped, glancing behind him.

"Littlefoot, what's the matter?" she asked.

"I don't want to be part of this cause!" he cried. "Let me go!"

"Littlefoot, it's okay," she soothed. "You don't need to worry. Wing Father might be intimidating but he's a nice person. He'll make things clear."

"No, I don't want to meet him! I don't want anything to do with this! Please, let me go!"

"It's going to be alright. We're not going to hurt you. We will be helping."

"How can I trust something that would allow you to do something so bad?" Littlefoot said.

"That was more my fault. Please, Littlefoot." Patty pleaded. "There are more important things now. Aren't you sick of death and all the circle of life does to us? This might be our only chance to change the world for the better. We can't let this pass by."

"Is this what he really wants?" He sent a brief glare up. "Did he disapprove of what you did? Or did he support it?"

"You don't understand," she said, anger coming into her voice. "We need this. Don't ruin this for everyone."

"I don't want to be part of this!" he cried.

She pulled at his tail, walking faster. "You're going to meet the savior. He will have you calm down. You will cooperate."

"No, I won't!"

Littlefoot spotted a thorny wooden vine snaking across a section of tunnel ground. He grabbed onto it with his teeth and held on for dear life, ignoring how it pricked his mouth. He wedged his feet between several protruding rocks. He felt Patty stop and her grip briefly slacken, and Littlefoot saw a flicker of opportunity. If he could pull himself free and book it down the tunnel, maybe his quickness would surprise her enough she would be slow to pursue…

But then there was a wrench and Littlefoot cried out as his tail muscles flared in agony. The pain was such his hold weakened and Patty jerked him from the vine and dragged him on, giving his tail a few hard tugs.

"Patty," Littlefoot whimpered, "you're hurting me."

"Then don't make me do something so horrible." Patty hissed. Her eyes burned. "I don't want to do this Littlefoot but if you make me truly angry, I will do what is necessary. I've waited too long for this moment. If you extend this world's suffering any longer, you won't like what actions I will take!"

As her voice rose, a green glow flared. Littlefoot staggered back as light shone out from every part of Patty, and for the first time, he could truly see her. She was emaciated: her legs were thin tree trunks and middle measly and narrow. The skin of her neck was pressed into the muscle and there were hollows in all the wrong places. Patty's gaunt eyes literally shone with a deep fury Littlefoot only saw in the likes of the first sharptooth and it was just as terrifying. This overt display of power few mortals ever glimpsed was just too much for him. He threw himself in the opposite direction, scrambling his feet fruitlessly against the hard rock.

"Help!" Littlefoot screamed. "Someone help!"

The glow faded and Patty's appearance returned but Littlefoot didn't forget.

"I'm in this tunnel! I'm being kidnapped! Someone help!"

"No one can hear you." Patty said. "You're high up from the ground and your voice won't carry here."

He didn't bother replying. "Help me! I don't want to be here! I'm being taken against my will!"

She shook her head. "This is all my comrades' fault. If they just waited a bit longer with the rockslide, then you wouldn't be like this."

His terror was briefly subsumed by anger. "You mean my grandparents and Mr. Threehorn getting buried by a rockslide was on purpose? Everything I learn about you keeps getting worse and worse. I won't cooperate with you!"

"Whatever happened to them, Wing Father will explain everything. Goodness, stop making me repeat myself."

Her callous dismissiveness of the potential death of those he loved drove his anger to greater heights. "If you hate repeating yourself so much, I might have a solution for that!"

Littlefoot wheeled around, and bit with all his strength on Patty's tail. She yelped, more started than hurt but that tail around Littlefoot's slackened enough that he leapt out of reach and bolted down the tunnel. Only a few seconds followed before Patty's booming footsteps came after him. He weaved around rocks and stray plant matter, the strong stinging in his chest only making him briefly stumble, avoiding anything that might slow his speed. He could hear her rapidly catching up but didn't look back. He had evaded pursuers larger than her but this straight tunnel had no branching pathways or hiding spots. But there had to be a way out, he refused to give up. The opening where he witnessed the rockslide came into view. He thought quickly and turned his steps in that direction.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking," Patty shouted, "don't you dare!"

But Littlefoot dared. He hopped onto the edge of the opening and glanced around, spotting a workable ledge a foot below that ran far off a scraggly but stable line to the right. Littlefoot slid down rear legs first, and his grip on the opening slipped. He yelped as he briefly fell, but his forefeet caught the ledge. Gaining a firmer grip, he began shimmying, feeling the late-morning breeze brush coolly on his side. The sound of Patty's footsteps slowed. She poked her head out and saw him moving away at a careful but consistent pace. She briefly vanished and her tail snaked out, whipping around to reach for him. He flinched as he felt the force of it whip nearby but fortunately he had shimmied far enough that Patty's tail tip whipped for him a few feet out of reach. Patty head came back out.

"Please Littlefoot," she said. "I know you're upset but it's dangerous. Come back. There's no advantage in hanging on a ledge all day."

"At least I'm not stuck in there with you." Littlefoot shot back. "Plus, now I'm outside, I stand a better chance of someone hearing this – help! Somebody help!"

Patty started. His screams carried out much farther at this height in the Great Valley. He continued yelling at the top of his lungs. Littlefoot glimpsed her reach out with her tail again but it was fruitless for her. The greater concern was how long his strength would allow him to cling to the Great Wall. Adjusting his grip so he would be able to hang on more comfortably, he continued screaming for help, hoping someone would eventually hear him.

Meanwhile, shaken by Don's revelations, Chomper and Spike immediately went sniffing about to find their friend's scent while under the watchful eye of the parents and other grownups. Chomper and Spike changed their nose's directions quickly, faces anxious. Trying to track someone down while standing in place was difficult but with their friend in danger, they were doing the best they could.

"Found anything?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

"I think he went somewhere to the Great Wall there." Chomper nodded in that direction. "I don't know exactly where, but his smell is mixed with Patty's."

Spike bayed in agreement, his normally relaxed demeanor replaced by great worry as his eyes searched those distant mountains on the other side of the valley. Don chuckled humorlessly.

"You won't be able to get to him where they're traveling. They'll already be at their destination by the time you find where they went."

"I swear, if anything happens to Littlefoot-" Grandpa Longneck began.

Tega snorted. "We're not going to give him the Mr. Clubtail treatment, if that's what you're thinking. That would just complicate things. No, Littlefoot has a very special role waiting for him."

"That doesn't bring us any consolation." Grandma Longneck glared. "Dear, we should get going. We can't waste time here while Littlefoot is in danger."

"I wouldn't advise that." Don said. "Do you think we would allow you to leave? For Wing Father's sake, we won't hesitate to hurt you again if it comes to it."

"Quiet." Grandpa Longneck said. "We aren't going to argue with the insensible."

"And you're the heights of sensible yourselves?" Tega asked. "You have been handing over your grandson to a complete stranger for four days without considering if she's trustworthy. That doesn't indicate much smarts about you."

"That's-" Grandpa Longneck began, but guilt wracked his face. He shook his head. "We can't be entertaining your mind games. We have a grandson to save."

"Don't worry." Don said. "You will see Littlefoot again. We don't plan to keep him forever. In fact, this will go a lot faster if you also-"

He was cut off by someone calling out. Spike was thrusting his nose at something on the opposite Great Wall, glancing at everyone and making urgent head motions. The crowd's attention fixed on that location. At first, no one knew what Spike spotted but then Petrie fluttered down on Spike's neck beside Ducky and squinted before he gasped.

"Look, someone hanging near that hole over there!"

With that scrap of information, they spotted it. There was an opening halfway up the Great Wall and a bit far from that was a tiny gray dot. From this distance they wouldn't have noticed anything unless they were looking for it. With a jolt, they realized it was Littlefoot, hanging on for dear life on a thin ledge, the thin waving line of Patty's tail vainly trying to reach him from the opening. They thought they could ever-so-faintly pick up what might be his screams for help.

"Littlefoot!" Grandpa Longneck shouted. "Oh, clever Littlefoot…"

Don and Tega also noticed. They appeared caught off-guard by this but Don's superior sneer returned.

"Of course," he said. "He's as difficult as common word says."

"What are we going to do?" Grandma Longneck asked. "That's a very long drop. We can't reach him from the ground and we can't use the tunnel if Patty is nearby."

"We better think of something quick." Cera said. "It's hard to hang onto cliffs for long. We have been on enough to know."

Petrie brightened. "Then he need help of someone who can fly. Mama can help!"

"Yes." Ruby nodded. "She can avoid Patty while also avoiding climbing. It would be the fastest way to help."

Grandpa Longneck turned to Mama Flyer. "I understand this is a huge responsibility to take on…"

Mama Flyer shook her head, smiling. "You don't need to say any more. Leave your grandson to me."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck smiled with relief. Sweeping her wings out, Mama Flyer took off and made a straight beeline for the opposite Great Wall. Barely a second passed before Don flew after her.

"Oh no you don't!" he said sharply. "You won't interfere in-"

Just as Don closed in, two shapes intercepted. Guido closed his mouth hard around Don's left wing, causing the elderly flyer to cry out. This delayed him enough for Swooper to come in and slap him. Don was thrown back, slightly dazed, but recovered and examined the pair who flew in place, blocking his path.

"Oh goodness, I didn't think I could really bite anyone like that." Guido said. "I mean, I might have done so before I lost my memories but…" Taking deep breath, he opened his eyes to stare grimly. "Stay where you are."

"Was that a threat?" Don said. "You're going to have to be better than that. And what are you doing, Swooper? You're too blind and delicate to be using those wings."

"If there's anything I've learned in the Great Valley, it's that you can adapt to anything." Swooper said. "I thought a self-proclaimed wise guy like you would know that."

Don scowled and swooped in fast. Guido and Swooper dodged but the former took another bite at Don's wing as he passed and Swooper slapped a wing at Don. Don flapped back but then went after Swooper, who circled out of the way.

"You have adapted." Don said. "But there's only so much you can do if your enemy has a great power by his side."

Don tucked in his wings, and fell toward the pair. Guido and Swooper started but braced themselves with grim determination. Don wasn't bothered. Once he crashed into them, they would fall from the sky and maybe not rise again. It was what they deserved for getting in the way of his mission. Before Don could make contact, an almighty tail swung in. He gasped and rolled out of the way, only for another tail to come in. He ducked under and was forced to retreat as Grandpa and Grandma Longneck stood in the way.

"You will not get our grandson!" Grandpa Longneck thundered.

Don pressed his beak together in frustration but then others stood alongside them and his way to Mama Flyer was blocked.

In the meantime, Littlefoot could feel some exhaustion digging into his forelegs. He had moved a lot today and the more he hung there, the more energy left his limbs. But he ignored this, continuing to call for help. His voice was becoming a bit hoarse but he didn't care. At some point, someone must see or hear him. A bit of the talkback from this height was amplifying his voice. It was only a matter of time, that was what he told himself.

All the while, Patty alternated between pleading for him to come back and trying to reach out with her tail. Her tail tip could only scrape a few feet away from him, so he elected to only give her marginal attention while yelling for assistance. She made so much noise in her shouts and tail smacks against the rock he almost didn't notice a second voice call out to him.

"Littlefoot, I'm coming!"

He looked back and his heart leapt when he saw Mama Flyer fly in, ascending past and flapping over him.

"It's okay, I've got you," she soothed.

"Are my grandparents – is anyone…"

"They're fine. They and Mr. Threehorn are a bit bumped up but they survived."

Littlefoot beamed. Such relief flooded him that, for a moment, he nearly forgot he was hanging from a high drop. He had a look over of Mama Flyer, and his mood dampened.

"Are you going to carry me? I'm too big. We'll fall."

"Don't worry." Mama Flyer assured. "It'll be a controlled fall. I'll carry you as far as I can. Once we land, run, and I'll guard you from above."

That still sounded risky but she sounded confident in her plan, so he nodded. He stilled as she hovered above him, feeling wind be blown past him as she grabbed him by the middle. She continued to flap her wings as she firmed her grip on him.

"Alright, when I say 'let go,' let go," she said. "Don't struggle while we fly. Remain calm and trust what I'm doing."

The back of Littlefoot's head nodded to her. He glanced at the opening and found Patty glaring at them, her mind trying to work out how to prevent their escape. He felt the air beats get faster as Mama Flyer flapped herself into a steady pattern, waiting for the signal.

"I'm ready," she said. "Let go."

He relaxed his forefeet from the ledge and yelped as it dropped past. Mama Flyer flapped her wings faster, turning around as she flew from the Great Wall. She soon got used to the weight and, though they still fell, it was slower. Fields and trees passed below him, a great Big Water of light and dark greens, rivers and watering holes intermingled among them, little lines and dots among the landscape. The dinosaurs looked like bugs from this height. A few looked up and stared as Mama Flyer and Littlefoot passed. In their controlled descent, they covered a great distance. If this were any other situation, Littlefoot would be enjoying this. He looked back at the Great Wall opening.

"I can't see Patty," he said. "She killed Mr. Clubtail, she might go after us!"

"We know." Mama Flyer said. "Stay still. I'll be with you until we get to your grandparents and the others."

They were a quarter across the Great Valley. His feet were nearly scraping the higher leaves on the tops of trees. Mama Flyer flapped with quick and careful precision, the ground passing below at a steady, closer rate. He raised his gaze to see her panting, his weight getting to her but she persevered. Eventually, though, even her strength couldn't last forever. She did some last wing beats before she closed the distance, gently depositing him on a plane of grass. She crouched down beside him, panting to catch her breath. Littlefoot watched with concern.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I tried to be as still as I could."

"Don't worry." Mama Flyer gave a brief smile. "You're doing wonderfully. Now, run! I'll follow you."

He decided to trust her word and the thought of hearing Patty's thundering footsteps overrode any desire to stay in one place. Littlefoot started running, ignoring the exhaustion in his forelegs. It felt like a lifetime ago when Patty first took him from his grandparents and she gave her mysterious proposal. Now he was going to see if his grandparents were truly alright. He covered some distance, passing long grass and trees, and valley denizens eating and relaxing, some of whom raised their head to look at him in puzzlement as he rushed by. Mama Flyer's assuring shadow soon came over him but he didn't stop.

He thought it would take forever to get to the other side of the valley and his breaths were heaving but within a few minutes, his heart rose as he glimpsed a crowd coming up, standing in front of a massive pile of rocks and boulders. They were scattered about, some appearing unsure while others were standing guard. A few appeared to be fighting something. His grandparents were among that few, standing at the edge of the crowd and batting at something with their tails, but looking very much alive. Beneath the tangle of grownup legs, he could see his friends bunched together. When Cera and the others' looked at him, they brightened and he felt a surging joy. Littlefoot found the will to run faster.

"Grandpa! Grandma!" he called. "Guys!"

Grandpa Longneck glanced down from the act of whipping his tail and panicked. "Littlefoot, look out!"

Littlefoot was puzzled but then Don swung around Grandpa Longneck's tail, folded his wings in, and fell straight for Littlefoot, eyes focused on him with fury. Panicked, shocked by this unexpected enemy, Littlefoot found himself rooted to the spot…

Mama Flyer zoomed in and rammed Don hard. Don was thrown back, flapping wildly. Before he could recover, Swooper and Guido flew in and threw their bodies against him. By the time Don reoriented himself, Littlefoot had resumed moving and was among a circle of grownup feet, which stood protectively.

"You're not touching him!" Grandma Longneck declared.

Littlefoot turned to see his friends a few feet away, and they rushed each other in a group hug.

"Thank goodness you are okay, oh yes, yes, yes." Ducky murmured.

"I should say the same for all of us." Littlefoot said, with some tears in his eyes. "When I saw those rocks coming down on my grandparents and Cera's dad, I thought some of us were about to lose family."

"Dad and the others told us to stay put but we didn't listen." Cera said, with a flicker of pride. "We warned them out of the way of that rockslide just in time."

Petrie shuddered atop Littlefoot's head. "Me didn't think Don and Tega would be the ones to cause rockslide. Me thought they nice but they trick us."

Littlefoot's heart sank. "Wait…Tega is with them too?"

The others looked up and Littlefoot trailed after their gaze, seeing Tega laying on the path above, chewing a piece of grass, her usual look of indifference mixed with a slight amusement too calm for the situation. He felt a whoosh. He looked at his friends, seeing the pain he experienced in their eyes. He hadn't been the only one betrayed. All of them have been used by people who approached them with the false pretense of friendship. It disheartened him. Were there any new people they could trust?

A bunch of slowing footsteps became audible and Littlefoot stilled. Slowly, he turned to find Patty emerging from the trees, not looking pleased to see the party in front of her.

"Couldn't you have taken out at least one of them?" she demanded.

"They had forewarning." Don moved to fly beside her, frustrated. "Those kids live up to their reputation as trouble. I might have made more progress if that spiketail stopped chewing her grass and did something."

The dinosaurs around the forefront of the crowd pressed close together, glaring at her.

"Patty!" It was the spikethumb leader, stepping forward. "Is it true? You're complicit in the clubtail's murder and part of this deranged group?"

Patty looked her up and down, before lowering her head. "Sorry to disappoint you, leader. There are some things that must be done. Needless to say, I can't be with your herd anymore."

The spikethumb leader's eyes widened. Her mouth thinned. "I'm not pleased to realize two I've given refuge are complicit in crimes."

"I'm not like the threehorn. Right now, be grateful I didn't hurt anyone in your herd."

The spikethumb leader frowned, glaring with displeasure. The grandparents stepped forward.

"Patty." Grandpa Longneck said. "We're disappointed. We've been fond of you. How could you be part of this?"

Patty flinched. Her eyes lowered for a moment but then she met their gaze. "I'm sorry Grandpa and Grandma Longneck. I didn't mean to deceive you or hurt Littlefoot. But I have to do this. I can't let my emotions get in the way of making difficult decisions."

"You are just making excuses." Grandma Longneck said. "Do you really believe what you're saying?"

Patty fell silent, as though there was nothing else she could say. The crowd stood warily, facing two self-proclaimed Anchors from the forest and watching the one lying on the Great Wall path, waiting for their next move.

"So," Grandpa Longneck said, "what are you going to do? You are outnumbered here. You can't fight all of us."

"No," Patty said, "but we'll find a way. Littlefoot will join us."

"Don't make us do something we'll regret." Mama Swimmer said. "After manipulating our children, we aren't in a merciful mood."

"You can't discourage us." Don said. "Only Wing Father has power over us."

"Then we have words for this Wing Father of yours." Mama Flyer asked.

Patty smiled grimly. "They will have as much effect as death has on us. Wing Father is a force like the wind. You can't stop him."

"Wait, death?" Grandpa Longneck said. "What does death have to do with what you're doing?"

"Patty is dead, Grandpa." Littlefoot said. "She told me she died after her mother did and this Wing Father brought her back to life. She glowed when she got angry and she looked starved. I saw it."

"What is this?" Mr. Threehorn scoffed. "The dead, coming back to life? You were probably seeing things."

"You said the same thing the first time we told you about the ghosts me and my friends saw. I never saw her really eat. She killed Mr. Clubtail and when I met her that day, she didn't look tired and she was never tired when she played with me. Wing Father is making her strong. If Don and Tega are working with him, they must be dead too."

"Nonsense." Mr. Threehorn said. "You can't just believe whatever you hear. Why, this is most ludicrous thing I've ever-"

"No, he's telling the truth." Don said.

"We all died." Tega said.

Everyone became quiet. People turned from staring at Tega to Don and Patty, wondering if this was some joke but their expressions were serious.

"What?" Petrie said. "You dead? But – when that happen?"

"It was my encounter with the sailback sharptooth." Don replied. "Remember? I gave you and Ruby the details two days ago. Except I didn't escape. The sharptooth bit me in half." He lowered his head. "I was so bitter about being left behind. I wished the world didn't change so I wouldn't be disregarded. When Wing Father came, I was in awe. He offered me a chance to change the world so my knowledge would never become out of date. After being abandoned by a flock member and falling behind on knowledge, it was too good of an opportunity to pass."

There was silence. Ducky turned to Tega.

"Is – it the same for you, Tega?" Ducky asked tentatively. "Did you not escape the Thundering Falls fire?"

"Yeah." Tega's eyes lowered. "I tried to get away but there was so much fire...no matter where I turned, I started getting burned. It wasn't a fun way to go. I was so distraught. I thought I could survive alone but the world rejected my kind. It was unfair. That was when Wing Father appeared. It was a bit freaky at first but when he made his offer to change the world so loners could survive, I saw this was someone I could work with."

"Oh, that must have been so hard…"

Tega looked at Ducky and laughed. "What, sympathy again? After all I did? You're so easy to play with."

Ducky stepped back and Spike growled, their friends glaring up with him. Strangely, Patty was also glaring at Tega but she pursed her lips. Looking uncomfortable, Don spoke.

"You must have noticed, haven't you?" he said. "We never ate in the company of others. The spiketail likes chewing her grass but she rarely swallows or else has to hack it back up. Unlike her, I don't put myself to such unpleasantness. My solitude fortunately means that few notice my lack of diet, and no need to sleep. It has left me free reign to check on the body and other matters without suspicion. It is a gift that Wing Father has given all of us."

"You still haven't specified who this Wing Father is." Mama Flyer said. "What kind of dinosaur he is, where does he comes from? It's understandable why we have doubts about this. It's not possible for one person to control the world."

"Then you have a narrow view of what things can be." Patty said. "Wing Father isn't a dinosaur or any kind of creature. He is a power beyond our world and only deigns to visit us."

Littlefoot felt a prickle of unease, a certain pair of rainbowfaces coming to mind. "You mean he is from the stars?"

"I didn't say that." Patty said, giving him a confused look. "He is beyond life and death. He exists in what comes next. How else could he give us the power to come back to life? But he has limited influence on the living world. To fix that, he has to choose four people who died with regret, Anchors, who he could bring back and help him establish influence. We obey his will so he could take power and make the world better."

There were whispers. Dinosaurs among the crowd looked at each other and the three Anchors, discomforted. Mama Swimmer stepped in front of the gang, eying Patty warily. Littlefoot's mind was buzzing. This talk about a power beyond life and death was beyond anyone. Many hoped and believed that there might be something after death but this talk of a being who technically never lived was hard to wrap their minds around. Still, they couldn't help but notice the Anchors rarely appeared to eat or tire. Maybe there was some truth to those words. Mr. Threehorn looked around and frowned.

"Come on, are we really going to believe this?" he asked. "These three are all delusional. People coming back to life, not eating or sleeping, some creature that has never lived or died – it's all nonsense. There's no way any of this could be true."

"You say that, during a time when ghosts roam among us." Don said. "Have you just forgotten the rockslide we caused? That needed great strength."

"The ghosts have been seen. And there are small ways to start a rockslide even with just one person. All we have right now is just your word and it's clear you've jumped off the deep end. You're just mad at how the world is and lashing out. I don't know if this Wing Father is real or not but he is feeding your issues."

"The world is broken." Patty said. "Death and suffering are everywhere. We have to change it."

"We're going to swap this world for a better one." Tega said. "Wing Father is the answer. He'll make a world where it's every dinosaur for themselves."

Mr. Threehorn snorted. "Instead of facing the facts of life, you throw yourself at someone with grand promises you delude yourselves into believing. If I could, I'd pity you. Cowards, the lot of you."

"That's rich, coming from you, Topps old pal!" called a voice.

The color drained from Mr. Threehorn's face. Silence fell as everyone gazed to the top of the Great Wall to see a green threehorn step into view. Cera and Chomper stepped back, shaking.

"Oh no." Cera whispered. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"Not him, not him!" Chomper said.

The threehorn jumped and slid down the mountain, confident as he navigated around the rocks and steeper drops. He slowed and landed on the path. There was a collective intake of breath. Verter stood beside Tega, blue eyes surveying the assembled dinosaurs with nary a scratch or blemish, a smirk playing across his muzzle.

Mr. Threehorn opened and closed his mouth. "You're – you're dead. We saw you die. How – how did this happen?"

"Wing Father happened, friend." Verter's lip curled. "I didn't expect to come back either but I didn't expect to die. When Wing Father came around, I was quite happy to take his offer."

The spikethumb leader stared up, mouth open. "You – this must be a mistake. You can't possibly be dead."

"Really, dear leader?" Verter said. "After believing everything you heard about the ghosts, you doubt now? Well, let me make things clear. I did try to take Cera and the sharptooth kid. Topps and Tria did kill me in trying to stop me. I did meet Wing Father. He gave me a second chance to better the traditions of threehorns but you wouldn't understand the details anyway. Threehorn matters are beyond other kinds. But if you can't understand that, imagine the trouble you'll have trying to comprehend a power beyond most living beings that can bring the dead back to life."

The spikethumb leader stepped back, a hint of terror in her eyes. Verter switched his attention elsewhere.

"Anyway, enough with that herd. I was never really interested in them anyway. I have greater priorities now. Oh, how I can't wait to make examples out of all of you."

His eyes bore onto Mr. Threehorn, Tria, and the children. Though he smiled, there was a hard look in his blue eyes and a green glow came from him, faint but clear. There were gasps and screams. The breath was taken from Grandpa and Grandma Longneck. Mama Swimmer cried out and clapped her hand to her mouth. The spikethumb leader was just stunned. Petrie yelped and Littlefoot heard more a few gasps from his friends, feeling the pit drop in his stomach at seeing this a second time. Everyone stared, unable to believe what they were seeing. Cera and Chomper screamed and ducked among their friends, trying not to be seen. Though scared, Littlefoot and the others quickly grouped around the pair to block them from view. Verter was too far up to see the scars of his death but the glow was enough to shock everyone even after it at last faded. Patty glared at Verter but before she could say anything, Tria shook herself and took a shaking step forward.

"You – you will not harm Cera and Chomper," she declared.

"That – that's right." Mr. Threehorn said, finding his voice. "If – if we have to kill you again, we will. You have proven yourself a danger to the children. We won't allow you near them, especially now you've chosen to align with these Great Valley menaces."

Verter threw head back and laughed. It went on for a bit too long. Some shifted uneasily. For some reason, Don avoided looking at him.

"Why do you find that funny?" Tria demanded.

Verter quieted and bared his teeth. "Because it was you two's effort to put me down that led me to Wing Father. He had been searching for the fourth and final Anchor for a long time now, someone who would qualify for his requirements. If you hadn't killed me, he would have had to search even longer to put his plans in motion. Thanks to you, that doesn't need to happen."

Mr. Threehorn tensed. "Hang on, I didn't cause this, you forced our hand-"

"Of course you say that." Verter said. "You always leap before you look and when it goes bad, you lay the blame somewhere else. If you weren't so focused on making sure no one took more water than they 'deserved,' you might have figured out what caused the Thundering Falls to dry up, correct? Then there would have been no fire and you wouldn't have endangered your daughter by leading her where she could have been burned alive."

"I was foolish back then. I'm much better now."

"It didn't sound like that when the valley herds got driven out by the swarming leaf gobblers and you suggested the herds break apart. Because of that, your daughter and her friends ran away and nearly died many times to make sure you stayed together."

"That was-" Mr. Threehorn shook his head. "I'm not heartless, I was just thinking what I thought was best to survive."

"Is that what you meant with the Tinysaurs? You were planning to kill them for the simple crime of eating from the Tree Sweet Tree. You didn't consider they mightn't have known about its importance. Because of that, fast biters were led into the valley and your girl and her friends were nearly killed again. Does that sound like someone who takes the right actions?"

"I…" Mr. Threehorn stuttered. "That is, I-"

Verter smiled. He stepped forward.

"But hey, it's not all bad," he said. "Because you killed me, I got to meet Wing Father. He now has the four Anchors needed to begin his next step to being in charge of the world. I can have a paradise I always wanted. For all that you did for us, I just want to say, thank you very much."

Verter gave a mocking bow. Mr. Threehorn stepped back, breaths fast, eyes becoming wide as he grasped the implications of his actions. There were murmurs and some dinosaurs began looking around with fear, Tega watching with amusement. Littlefoot took this in, stomach sinking. If someone dead like Verter was standing before them and could glow, that meant Patty and the others were telling the truth about also dying. And if that was real, then this Wing Father might be real as well. This realization caused dread to form and a few even started glaring at Mr. Threehorn for this danger he unwittingly unleashed. Grandpa Longneck looked around and frowned.

"Really, are we going to listen to criticisms from those who wish to harm us?" he asked. "Whatever Mr. Threehorn's flaws, he was right to defend Cera and Chomper from Verter. Right now, we have two killers and their accomplices who plan to do our children harm and we should make it clear they aren't welcome here."

That caused a stir. Becoming more determined, the grownups gathered closer around the children, hiding them from view, and the space became so tight Littlefoot had press closely into his friends so as not to be wedged against Mama Swimmer's foot. None of the Anchors were impressed.

"This won't stop a thing." Patty said.

"Are you really prepared for what we can accomplish?" Don said.

"I still haven't tested everything I can do." Verter cricked his neck. "Please, fight back. That will only make it more fun."

There were snarls and bellows. Several of the grownups snapped teeth and stamped the grass, furious eyes conveying the consequences of a fight. Patty stood her ground. Don flapped beside her, showing the sharp counters of his wings. Verter loomed over the cliff, smirking down. It was a tense moment, and Littlefoot worried about what was going to happen. Some shifted and tried to hide their nervousness, apparently dreading whatever powers the four might have that could harm them. Mama Flyer took a deep breath, to look determined. Then Tega leaned down and twirled her grass to one corner of her mouth before sighing.

"Well, we are certainly outnumbered. Why don't we call it a day?"

Don jerked his head up. "What?!"

"It would be annoying to round up so many people." Tega smiled at Don's outrage, waving at the crowd below. "We should consult Wing Father about a more useful strategy."

Patty looked at the crowd with pain. "We've waited so long though…"

"We can wait a bit longer." Tega surveyed the crowd with an eerily intelligent gaze. "Besides, we need time to plan what to do next. We need to make things easier…and more fun."

Verter's irritated look melted away. "Yes." His eyes glittered as he looked down. "We have already given them a taste of what's to come."

Don looked unsatisfied. "Next time, they will have forewarning. For Wing Father's sake, that will make attaining our goals difficult, spiketail."

"And yet there are advantages to regrouping." Patty said, thoughtful. "We should do that."

Don didn't look pleased but there was a thoughtful gleam in Patty's eyes that made him back down with a sigh. She surveyed the crowd in front of her.

"We shall return," she continued. "Our cause is one that won't be delayed."

"You won't know what our next actions will be." Don said. "The minds employed here are beyond your comprehension. Though be comforted, you will be happy."

"You aren't comforting anyone." Grandpa Longneck said. "Why should we believe your cause is just if its methods lead to such heartbreak?"

"Because once Wing Father has control, everyone won't have anything to worry about again." Patty walked off, stopping to look back. "Make no mistake – the circle of life will be ended. Death and all its heartbreak will be stopped."

With that, she turned and marched off. Don flew after her, disappearing into the trees. Tega and Verter exchanged looks before Tega got up and they moved up the path, disappearing around a bend on the mountain. For a moment, the crowd turned their heads from the cliff to the trees, making sure the four had vanished. Mr. Thicknose stared, unable to fathom what just happened. Guido tried to stop shaking, Swooper patting his back. The gang stood reeling, a few absently rubbing their chests. Mama Swimmer stood close to Ducky and Spike, her fear and confusion a mirror of everyone else's.

"So… wh-what now?" Mr. Threehorn said, trying to sound casual.

"First, we need to treat our injuries." Grandpa Longneck sighed, looking at the adults around them. "Then, we need to talk."

 **Next time…**

 **Take Your Time**

* * *

 **Note:** And that is the end two. I hope to post the beginning chapters of arc three around June or July (I hope to make it this time, sorry for the delay with these ones.).


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